ROCKVILLE, Md. — Vice President Mike Pence is stressing the country is in a far better position to battle the coronavirus than it was months ago, even as cases continue to rise, especially across the south.

Pence put a positive spin on the progress at a briefing by the White House’s coronavirus task force at the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps headquarters in Maryland on Tuesday.

He says: “’We want to assure you that we’re ready — more ready than ever before — to meet this coronavirus pandemic.”

Task force members outlined improvements in testing capacity, the availability of protective gear, and new therapeutics even as the U.S. is now reporting about 40,000 new cases daily.

The comments came hours after the nation’s top infectious diseases expert warned during a congressional hearing that “we’re going in the wrong direction” and said the country could soon see as many as 100,000 new cases a day.

Still, Pence said the administration fully supports the decision of some states to-shutter certain business or delay reopening efforts due to rising cases.

The members also urged Americans to abide by public health recommendation, including wearing masks in public, saying they are key to keeping the country open.