Coronavirus: Obama urges public to listen to experts while Trump boasts about polling numbers

Health officials urging people to thoroughly wash hands and avoid touching eyes, mouth and nose

As Donald Trump boasts about the latest opinion polls about his handling of the coronavirus threat, the man who occupied the Oval Office just before him is taking a bit of a different approach to the virus that has left 11 people dead in the United States so far.

“Protect yourself and your community from coronavirus with common sense precautions: wash your hands, stay home sick and listen to the @CDCgov and local health authorities,” Barack Obama tweeted.

He continued: “Save the masks for health care workers. Let’s stay calm, listen to the experts, and follow the science.”

Over three years after Mr Obama left the presidency, the approach of the two men to world events still leads to quick comparisons — with critics of the current president noting that Mr Trump often tends to make issues a reflection of his greatness.

“Gallup Poll numbers on the handling of this situation are outstanding, the best,” Mr Trump wrote on Sunday. “Thank you!”

The coronavirus has been spreading in the United States at an increasingly alarming rate in recent days, with 153 confirmed cases reported and 11 deaths.

The deaths have been recorded in Washington State — where 10 of those deaths were recorded in two different counties — as well as in California, where a fatality was tallied in Placer County.

A total of eight cases have been designated as recovered in the United States, including patients in Illinois, Massachusetts, Washington, California and Wisconsin.

All told, there have been over 95,000 cases of the coronavirus in the United States, with over 80,000 of those being registered in mainland China.

Beyond China, the outbreak has been felt most in South Korea, Italy and Iran.

The CDC and US officials have claimed that the best way to minimise the threat of catching the virus is to wash hands thoroughly and to avoid touching the face.