U.S. Vice President Mike Pence assessed that the epicenter of the new coronavirus has shifted from China and South Korea to Europe.

Pence made the remark during an interview with CNN on Thursday as he was defending the Donald Trump administration's 30-day entry ban on travelers from Europe, which is dealing with rapid spread of COVID-19 across the continent.

Pence said President Trump decided on the travel ban immediately after health experts advised it to be the best countermeasure, based on data they have been tracking around the globe.

When asked about the possibility of the U.S. closing off large cities, like China did with Wuhan, to contain the virus, Pence responded by saying encouraging news was coming out of Asia, an apparent reference to the situations in South Korea and China.

Pence added the administration should not make any mistakes.

After announcing the travel ban on Europe earlier in the day, Trump hinted at the possibility of lifting travel alerts to the two Asian countries as their coronavirus situations improve.