President Donald Trump said Saturday he’ll address the nation about the coronavirus threat.
Trump tweeted that he’ll discuss the latest development at a White House news conference at 10:30 a.m. PST Saturday. Trump addressed the nation from the White House earlier this week.
Trump’s appearance comes after health officials disclosed a second case of coronavirus in the U.S. in someone who had not traveled internationally or had close contact with someone who has the virus.
The Trump administration on Friday announced it has formed a new committee as part of a response to the coronavirus outbreak -- as part of an effort to quickly assess and respond to the outbreak and to better inform decision making about public health crises.
“We are creating a direct line to the nation’s top scientific minds on public health. With the complexities of assessing and responding to emerging infectious diseases, a standing committee will build on the great work being done by the Trump Administration to rapidly engage with experts from the private sector, non-governmental organizations, the academic community, and relevant stakeholders from the broader science community,” White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) Director Dr. Kelvin Droegemeier said in a statement.
“This committee is a critical tool for examining emerging infectious diseases, like the COVID-19 outbreak, and providing expedited, strategic input to policy making processes,” he said.
The commission’s establishment comes as the U.S., along with other governments across the world, is ramping up its response to the virus as it threatens the global economy and as the number of cases hits 83,000 worldwide.
On Wednesday, President Trump held a press conference in which he said the government was ready to adapt and “do whatever we have to as the disease spreads, if it spreads.”
"But we’re very, very ready for this, for anything -- whether it’s going to be a breakout of larger proportions or whether or not we’re -- you know, we’re at that very low level, and we want to keep it that way," he told reporters.
Trump has also requested $2.5 billion in funding from Congress for the coronavirus response -- a move quickly panned by Democratic congressional leaders as insufficient.
FOX News contributed to this report
President Donald Trump is shown in a file photo. (Photo by Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images)