Secretary of State Mike Pompeo touts U.S. efforts to bring home Americans

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo provided an update on the State Department's efforts to bring American citizens back to the United States during the global coronavirus pandemic. At a news conference Tuesday, Pompeo said 45,000 Americans have been evacuated and returned home from 75 countries on more than 460 flights.

"These stories could be pulled from a Hollywood script," Pompeo said. The secretary also said the United States will  commit an "additional 225-million dollars in health, humanitarian and economic assistance to further boost response efforts worldwide." Pompeo said that's in addition to the roughly 274-million dollars the U.S. is already spending in dozens of countries around the world.

He said the new funds will be used for testing, prevention and control of the virus as well as to bolster health systems, to prepare labs and to train health care workers.

"No country can match this level of generosity," Pompeo said.

Months into the coronavirus pandemic, Pompeo announced a bit of good news. He said that as of April 12th, the Democratic Republic of Congo will declare the Ebola outbreak officially over.

"American assistance, the goodness of the American people helped make this victory possible. It's an inspiration for our continued efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic," he said.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.

Image Credits: AP