Vice-president admits coronavirus is more lethal than seasonal flu and attempts to clear up confusion over insurance

Mike Pence appeared on the leading US TV breakfast shows on Thursday in an attempt to talk up Donald Trump’s confusing White House address the previous night and both reassure and warn Americans about the coronavirus outbreak.

Pence insisted that the White House is taking “decisive action” on coronavirus, admitting that Covid-19 is more lethal than the seasonal flu and trying to clear up confusion over health insurance coverage.

On ABC’s Good Morning America, host George Stephanopoulos asked Pence to clarify whether insurance companies have agreed to waive co-payments for treatment of coronavirus. Pence said that health insurance companies “are working with us” to cover treatment, while confirming that at present they have only waived the cost of being tested for the virus.

Pence’s answer on treatment differed from what Trump said on Wednesday night during his presidential address on coronavirus. Trump said leaders of the health insurance industry “have agreed to waive all co-payments for coronavirus treatments, extend insurance coverage to these treatments and to prevent surprise medical billing”.

Meanwhile, on NBC’s Today Show, Pence confirmed that coronavirus is deadlier than the seasonal flu. Pence said that coronavirus represents “a very serious threat” to senior citizens with serious underlying health conditions. Covid-19 is typically 10 times deadlier than flu.

Just three days ago, Trump tweeted: “So last year 37,000 Americans died from the common Flu. It averages between 27,000 and 70,000 per year. Nothing is shut down, life & the economy go on. At this moment there are 546 confirmed cases of CoronaVirus, with 22 deaths. Think about that!”

As of Thursday, the US has over 1,300 positive coronavirus cases and has seen 38 deaths related to the illness.

The White House messaging over coronavirus has seen some shifts over the last few days as the number of coronavirus cases grows.

Just last week, Trump referred to coronavirus as the Democrats’ “new hoax”, mentioning it as an example grouped together with the Russian investigation and impeachment, trying to tell his followers at a rally in South Carolina that the opposition party was using the outbreak to attack the administration.