WASHINGTON (REUTERS) - Republican Vice President Mike Pence and Democratic challenger Kamala Harris squared off on Wednesday evening (Oct 7) in Salt Lake City, Utah, ahead of the Nov 3 presidential election.

Here are some of key quotes from the debate, which was moderated by USA Today journalist Susan Page:

THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

Harris: "On January 28, the vice president and the president were informed about the nature of this pandemic. They were informed that it's lethal. In consequence that it is airborne that it will affect young people, and that it would be contracted, because it is airborne. And they knew what was happening and they didn't tell you."

Asked about the Covid-19 death toll, Pence: "I want the American people to know that from the very first day President Donald Trump has put the health of America first."

Pence: "The reality is when you look at the Biden plan it reads an awful lot like what President Trump and I and our task force have been doing every step of the way.... it looks a little bit like plagiarism."

Harris: "The American people have had to sacrifice far too much because of the incompetence of this administration."

VACCINE

Harris on vaccine: "If the public health professionals, if Dr (Anthony) Fauci, if the doctors tell us that we should take it, I'll be the first in line to take it absolutely, but if Donald Trump tells us to take it, I'm not taking it."

Pence: "The fact that you continue to undermine public confidence in a vaccine - if the vaccine emerges during the Trump administration - I think is unconscionable ... stop playing politics with people's lives."