I will be very candid with you and say that in mid-January the CDC was still assessing that the risk of the coronavirus to the American people was low. The very first case, which was someone who had been in China — in late January around the 20th day of January….The reality is that we could’ve been better off if China had been more forthcoming.
Vice President Mike Pence
Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday placed blame on the Centers for Disease Control and China when asked during an interview on CNN why the U.S. was so slow to grasp the severity of the coronavirus pandemic.
Although China reportedly attempted to hide information about their initial outbreak of the virus, the Centers for Disease Control attempted to take preparatory action in January. The agency, however, was frequently thwarted by Donald Trump and his administration.
