Coronavirus: Mike Pompeo Speaks To S Jaishankar Over Phone, Discusses Coordination Of India-US Efforts To Tackle Pandemic

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar over phone on Wednesday regarding the coordination of efforts between India and the United States in tackling the coronavirus outbreak, US State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said. Reiterating the United States’ commitment to work with India to advance peace, prosperity, and security in the Indo-Pacific and around the globe, Pompeo, in his conversation, also highlighted the importance of cooperation between Washington and New Delhi to strengthen the pharmaceutical and healthcare manufacturing and supply chains worldwide, Morgan Ortagus added.

Secretary highlighted the importance of continued close cooperation between US, India,&other close partners and allies to combat this international crisis, including strengthening global pharmaceutical & healthcare manufacturing & supply chains: Spox for US State Dept 2/3 (31.3) https://t.co/iswNJ5xyNO

— ANI (@ANI) April 1, 2020

The United States has reported the maximum number of coronavirus cases so far. The numbers have crossed the 80, 000-mark. New York alone accounts for 75,795 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 1,550 deaths.

Also Read: US Headed For 'Tough', 'Painful' Two Weeks, President Donald Trump Over Coronavirus Pandemic

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has said that the US is headed for the ‘hard days’ in the coming weeks. "I want every American to be prepared for the hard days that lie ahead," Trump told reporters on Tuesday.

“We're going to go through a very tough two weeks and then, hopefully, as the experts are predicting, as I think a lot of us are predicting after having studied it so hard, we are going to start seeing some real light at the end of the tunnel. But this is going to be a very painful, very, very, very painful two weeks,” the US president added.

Also Read: Global Coronavirus Death Toll Tops 40,000: AFP

According to latest updates, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in India has crossed 1,500 with the death toll going over 35.

On the global front, more than 42,000 people have lost their lives due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of coronavirus-infected patients stand at 8, 00, 000 worldwide.

(With inputs from PTI)