Sanders goes after Trump over coronavirus

Sen. Bernie Sanders criticized President Donald Trump's handling of the coronavirus during a campaign event near Detroit. "This is, obviously, a difficult issue," Sanders said Monday in Romulus, Michigan. "But it would certainly help if the world and the people of our own country had confidence that the administration of the United States of America, that our government, was making decisions based on science."

Sanders and health experts held a roundtable discussion in front of members of the media during the event held at a hotel attached to Detroit Metropolitan Airport.

The event took place the day before Michigan's presidential primary.

Trump has been grappling with an epidemic whose consequences he has repeatedly played down.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.

The vast majority of people recover from the new virus. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover. In mainland China, where the virus first exploded, more than 80,000 people have been diagnosed and more than 58,000 have so far recovered.