The comment comes nearly a week after Sanders campaign officials said the senator from Vermont would assess the future of his campaign, following another round of landslide primary losses to Biden. The former vice president has taken a significant lead in delegates before the July nominating convention.

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The comments are the clearest indicator yet that, at least in the near term, Sanders has little intention of bowing out. His campaign was scheduled to host an online town hall to discuss the coronavirus Tuesday night, part of a series of virtual events he has held in recent days.

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Concerns about the virus have injected uncertainty, schedule changes and strategic shifts into the campaign. The pandemic has also forced organizers of upcoming debates to think about how — and whether — to proceed. The last debate, the only one in which Biden and Sanders faced off one-on-one, was held without an audience.

There is a growing sense among some in the Sanders campaign that Biden’s response to the coronavirus has been shaky and that could justify Sanders’s continued presence in the contest, especially since President Trump’s approval rating is ticking up, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe sensitive talks.

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The New York Times first reported Sanders planned to participate in the April debate if it happens.

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The Democratic National Committee, which facilitates the presidential debates, said Tuesday that it had not determined its plans. “No new updates. We’re are taking things day by day, as is the rest of the country,” said Xochitl Hinojosa, a DNC spokeswoman.

The DNC had previously announced a schedule of 12 debates, including six in 2020. So far there have been 11 debates, five of them this year.

A Biden campaign spokesman had no immediate comment.

Sanders has been holding private discussions with confidants about his future, weighing several options including staying in the contest in earnest; remaining in the running to accumulate delegates but not running ads attacking Biden; and exiting the race.

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The pandemic has prompted Biden and Sanders to stop holding rallies and other in-person campaign events. Both are relying on online events to get their messages out.

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Because of the public health crisis, several states have delayed their primaries so they do not endanger the health of potential voters. This has effectively frozen the contest for the moment.

But Sanders has continued invest significant time and resources into his campaign. His missed a procedural vote in the Senate Sunday, when he was hosting a live-stream event featuring Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.).