(NEXSTAR) — The White House coronavirus task force held a briefing Thursday morning to provide the latest on the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
During Thursday’s meeting, President Donald Trump said he has ordered the FDA to eliminate outdated rules in order to get any possible vaccine on the market quickly.
“Clinical trials are already underway for many new therapies, and we’re working on scaling these to allow many more Americans to access different drugs that have shown really good promise.”
Trump also reiterated that the federal government will be providing financial help for the airline industry, the cruise industry, and other job creating industries.
At Wednesday’s briefing, Trump announced an expansion of Medicare telehealth services, signed the Defense Production Act and suspended foreclosures and evictions through April.
Earlier Wednesday, the U.S. and Canada announced the two countries have agreed to temporarily close the shared border to nonessential travel.
At the center of the pandemic’s outbreak, China reported no new locally transmitted cases of coronavirus since the outbreak began in late 2019.
The U.S. has had at least 116 virus-related deaths and over 7,300 cases of coronavirus.
The Associated Press contributed to this report