Mixed messages test delays hamper U.S. coronavirus response

Even as U.S. officials warn of an inevitable outbreak of coronavirus in the Unit...

The Health 202: The Trump administration is providing a lot of mixed messages on coronavirus outbreak

Coronavirus: Trump's mixed messages 'undermines public trust' experts say

The president has repeatedly downplayed the issue but health officials have warned of the seriousness of the outbreak

POLL-Views mixed on Kazakh tenge amid coronavirus uncertainty

Trump coronavirus effort undermined by mixed messages and falsehoods

When Anthony Fauci, clad in a white lab coat, invited an "NBC Nightly News" correspondent into his offices this week and described the coronavirus as an "outbreak" that was reaching "likely pandemic proportions," the immunologist was acting as he long has during public health crises: delivering a fact-based warning to the public. But at the White House, the more politically minded officials overseeing the administration's response were irritated that Fauci - the veteran director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases - had used the word "pandemic" without giving anyone on Vice President Mike Pence's staff a heads up, according to two people familiar with the situation. One week after President Donald Trump returned home from India to confront an unfolding health crisis and tasked Pence with managing the government-wide response, the effort has been undermined by mixed messages, contradictions and falsehoods - many of them emanating from the president himself, including this week when he repeatedly spread false information about just how soon a coronavirus vaccine would be available. The White House is handling the rapidly expanding coronavirus as a public relations problem as much as a public health crisis. Officials are insisting on message discipline among government scientists and political aides alike, part of what they say is a responsible effort to try to calm jittery Americans and provide uniform and transparent information. Trump - who has closely monitored news coverage and the gyrating financial markets, which he sees as a barometer of his reelection chances - has privately griped about what he considers to be hysteria from both the media and his own public health officials, according to people familiar with his complaints, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share...

China Censors Coronavirus WeChat Messages Blacklists Keywords Including 'Death Toll' and 'Cover-Up'

Terms critical of China's government, information tied to the spread of the disease and references to the handling of the situation have been included in a keyword blacklist.

Surprise! WeChat is censoring messages about coronavirus in China

Since the beginning of January, WeChat — China’s most popular messaging platform — has been censoring keywords relating to the recent coronavirus outbreak .

Travelers to Thailand are getting mixed messages on restrictions amid coronavirus

The coronavirus has taken a toll on Thailand's tourism sector, which accounts for a significant proportion of the country's economy. In a note from dated Feb. 17, analysts at Fitch Solutions said tourism receipts "account for 13-14% of Thailand'seconomy and the sector provides around one-in-six jobs."