In a rare press briefing, President Donald J. Trump said the US has done a “tremendous” job in containing the deadly coronavirus and appointed Vice President Mike Pence to head his newly formed coronavirus taskforce.

During the address, the president emphasized that the administration’s number one priority is to keep the American people safe. The president touted the tremendous success his administration has had with containing the disease, including the screening of people from regions with infections.

Trump then added that the U.S. is working on a number of potential vaccines, one of which is ready for trials. The president went on to cite a recent report, which named the U.S. as the country “most prepared” to handle the coronavirus.

“We have the greatest experts in the world right here, people that are called upon by other countries when things like this happen,” he said. “We’re ready to adapt, and we’re ready to do whatever we have to as the disease spreads if it spreads.”

Moving forward, he announced that Vice President Mike Pence will head the newly formed coronavirus task force. Pence is expected to reach out to state governors to ensure they have all of the resources necessary to combat the deadly virus.

“I know full well the importance of presidential leadership…and the vital role of partnerships of state and local governments, (as well as) health authorities, in responding to the potential threat of dangerous, infectious diseases,” stated the vice president.

During the press conference, Health and Human Services Secretary ( HHS), Alex Azar thanked the president for his strong leadership. He said he “could not be more delighted that you’ve asked the vice president…to lead this whole government approach with us.”

Azar continued, “The president’s early and decisive actions, including travel restrictions, have succeeded in buying us incredibly valuable time. This has helped us contain the spread of the virus, handle the cases we have and prepare for the possibility that we will need to mitigate the broader spread of infections within the United States.”

The HHS secretary went on to say that the threat of the coronavirus in the U.S. remains low.

“We’re grateful for hard work that healthcare workers, first responders, communities, state and local leaders have put into the response so far,” he added. “Because of this hard work and the president’s leadership, the immediate risk to the American public continues to be low.”