Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma have been added to the U.S. coronavirus task force, reports The Hill.
The move comes as four more people died from the virus in Washington state, bringing the total number of reported deaths in the U.S. to six. The Washington state deaths are the first reported in the country.
King County in Washington has declared a public health emergency and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee declared a state of emergency over the weekend.
Vice President Mike Pence, who has led the Trump administration's response to the outbreak, also added Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Stephen Hahn and White House science advisor Kelvin Droegemeier to the task force.
Pence is set to speak with Republicans and Democratic senators Tuesday about the virus, which started in Wuhan, China, and has infected nearly 90,000 globally.
The global death toll passed 3,000 on Monday, and South Korea confirmed 599 new cases, far higher than the daily tally reported in China.
Tests in the U.S. have taken place at a much slower pace, though the FDA last week took steps to sharply expand testing.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.