As the White House requests a couple billion dollars from Congress to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the country, Tennessee U.S. Senate candidate Manny Sethi on Wednesday released his own plan to combat the spread of the disease.

"We've been saying this in our campaign for a month and a half," Sethi, a Nashville orthopedic trauma surgeon and founder of nonprofit Healthy Tennessee, said in an interview. "This coronavirus is going to be a big problem."

Sethi is one of the two top candidates this year for the Republican nomination to succeed the retiring U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander. Sethi faces former U.S. Ambassador to Japan Bill Hagerty in the August primary.

"The markets right now are really reacting to this, and I feel like if we create a plan, it will stabilize things," said Sethi, adding that he ran his plan by colleagues he knows around the country in the infectious disease and epidemiology spheres. "That's what I would do if I were a senator."

Asked what he intended to do with the plan or whether he would be submitting it to the government, Sethi said he planned to send it to Tennessee Republicans Alexander and U.S. Sen Marsha Blackburn.

Sethi praises Trump's response to coronavirus

While Sethi praised President Donald Trump's response so far to the coronavirus threat, including his request for $2.5 billion in emergency funding on the matter, Trump and White House officials on Tuesday attempted to downplay the threat, describing the epidemic as "very well under control in our country."

A steep increase in cases has been reported globally in recent days.

Sethi pointed to problems outside the country, saying the U.S. "could have easily handled this situation had China been transparent" earlier on about the virus being contracted.

Members of Congress have expressed growing unease about the virus and questioned whether Trump's administration was adequately addressing the risks.

While taking part in a state visit to India earlier this week, Trump noted that few people have been diagnosed with the virus in the U.S. and claimed that the "whole situation will start working out."

More:'Abandoned' in coronavirus quarantine, TN doctor to spend a month far from home

Markets tumbled hours later, however, while health officials warned of a more significant impact in the United States.

"Disruption to everyday life may be severe," said Nancy Messonnier, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.

She warned that schools and offices could close and public gatherings be postponed due to the epidemic.

Sethi's eight-step plan includes the following:

No “forced resettlement” of coronavirus patients by the federal government. Local and state officials must give approval of receiving quarantined patients. Emergency funding for thousands of researchers to develop an accurate, rapid-diagnosis screening test to be used at local and state public health labs around the country. Sethi cited the “problematic” accuracy rate of the current diagnostic test for coronavirus. Ensure coordination between the CDC and state and local health facilities to improve reporting and the ability to make quick quarantine decisions. Emergency funding to more quickly develop and test an effective and safe coronavirus vaccine. Increase surveillance and border security to property evaluate and triage people who are potentially exposed and at risk of infection or already infected. Help hospitals nationwide to prepare in the event coronavirus patients need to be admitted. International collaboration among medical professionals knowledgeable of the coronavirus to determine the most effective treatments and controlled clinical trials. Development of an accurate antibody test to assess immunity to the vaccine, as well as provide data on the transmission of the virus in asymptomatic cases.

Courtney Subramanian and John Fritze of USA TODAY contributed.

Reach Natalie Allison at nallison@tennessean.com. Follow her on Twitter at @natalie_allison.

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