White House is considering appointment of coronavirus "czar" -Politico

The White House is considering appointing a coronavirus "czar" to coordinate the U.S. response to the disease, Politico reported on Wednesday, citing two officials familiar with the matter.

Politico said officials are still debating whether such a role is necessary. Trump is due to hold a news conference on the government's coronavirus response at 6 p.m. (2300 GMT).

Global markets have slumped for the past five days over the prolonged disruption to supply chains from the disease, which has infected about 80,000 people and killed nearly 3,000.