Democratic Vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris landed quick blows in the first and only VP debate against Donald Trump's running mate Mike Pence that got off to a 9 p.m. EST start in Salt Lake City, Utah, with plexiglass separators serving as powerful visual reminders of a uniquely American coronavirus catastrophe.

Dressed in a blue-black pantsuit, Harris kicked off the debate by responding to the first question - predictably on the virus. She termed the Trump administration's response to COVID-19 as "the greatest failure of any presidential administration in the history of our country."