The US may enact the Korean War law on military products to combat the outbreak of a new coronavirus, said US health secretary Alex Azar.

He was asked if Washington was planning to use Congressional law 70 years ago to accelerate the production of medical supplies because of the outbreak of coronavirus. 

The law allows the president to expand the production of certain products for national security purposes. It allows the leader to establish control over the sectors of the civilian economy and increase production, redistribute basic resources, and introduce control over prices.

Azar added that the government could thus speed up the implementation of a number of contracts. Earlier, he said the US authorities should urgently purchase about 300 million surgical masks and respirators in connection with the spread of the new coronavirus in the world.

An outbreak of coronavirus was recorded at the end of December 2019 in the Chinese Wuhan. The WHO has recognized the outbreak as an emergency of international proportions. The death toll has reached 2,924, worldwide. And 85,212 cases have been confirmed, while 39,539 people have recovered. The virus has been recorded in 60 countries.