Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) says that the coronavirus could lead to hundreds of thousands of deaths.
“The virus is on the scale of a major war, and we must act accordingly,” Sanders said during a speech on the outbreak on Thursday afternoon.
“Nobody knows what the number of fatalities may end up being. Or the number of people who may get ill. And, we all hope that that number will be as low as possible,” Sanders said.
He continued:
“But we also have to face the truth. And that is, that the number of casualties may actually even be higher than what the armed forces experienced in World War II. In other words, we have a major, major crisis, and we must act accordingly.”
Watch his comments below:
Bernie Sanders delivers remarks on coronavirus: “The number of casualties may actually even be higher than what the armed forces experienced in World War II” https://t.co/I5Xclxde50 pic.twitter.com/1BaajtDUmb
— CBS News (@CBSNews) March 12, 2020
Additionally, Sanders slammed President Donald Trump’s handling of the outbreak and urged him to declare a national emergency.
“We are dealing with a national emergency and the president of the United States must understand that and declare that emergency. Next, because President Trump is unwilling and unable to lead selflessly, we must immediately convene an emergency, bipartisan authority of experts to support and direct the response that is comprehensive, compassionate, and based first and foremost on science and fact.”
“In other words, Congress in a bipartisan manner must take responsibility for addressing this unparalleled crisis,” he added.
NEW: Bernie Sanders calls on President Trump to declare a “national emergency” in wake of coronavirus pandemic, adding that because Trump is “unwilling” and “unable to lead selflessly,” we must “convene an emergency bipartisan authority of experts.” https://t.co/qcSjf6i9KO pic.twitter.com/1N15wdYTLB
— ABC News (@ABC) March 12, 2020
Finally, Sanders used his speech to call for the implementation of Medicare for all. But, in the meantime, Sanders said the government should make treatment and future vaccines for the virus free.
“Obviously, when a vaccine or other effective treatment is developed, it must be free of charge,” he said. “We cannot live in a nation where if you have the money you get the treatment you need to survive, but if you’re working-class or poor, you get to the end of the line.”
Sanders’ speech comes hours after former Vice President Joe Biden laid out how he would address the outbreak as president, as IJR has previously reported.