Trump puts VP Mike Pence 'in charge' of U.S. coronavirus response

Following a meeting with the CDC and other federal officials involved in the U.S. government's response to the spread of the coronavirus, President Trump announced Wednesday evening that U.S.Vice President Mike Pence will be in charge of the U.S. response to the coronavirus outbreak.

Trump said the risk to the American people from the virus "remains very low." "We're ready to adapt and we're ready to do whatever we have to as the disease spreads, if it spreads," he told a news conference.

The virus is believed to have originated in a market selling wildlife in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year.

It has infected about 80,000 people globally and killed more than 2,700, the vast majority in China.