Former President Barack Obama weighed in Wednesday on the deadly coronavirus, advising people to remain calm as more cases of the disease are confirmed across the country.
“Protect yourself and your community from coronavirus with common sense precautions: wash your hands, stay home when sick and listen to the @CDCgov [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] and local health authorities,” Mr. Obama said on Twitter.
“Save the masks for health care workers. Let’s stay calm, listen to the experts, and follow the science,” Mr. Obama added.
Mr. Obama’s tweet — his first public comment about the infectious respiratory disease — came on the heels of health officials confirming scores of cases spanning several states.
At least 137 confirmed cases of the coronavirus have been reported in the U.S., according to statistics maintained by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. As of Wednesday, 11 people in the U.S. who have contracted the disease have since died.
Internationally, more than 90,000 cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed since its discovery in China in December, according to the World Health Organization.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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