“Donald Trump,” the President of the United States, reiterated that the total number of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. would be lower if testing for the virus were reduced.

President Donald Trump stated at the White House on Tuesday (July 14) that if the U.S., which has tested over 40 million people for COVID-19, were to cut testing by half, the total number of confirmed cases would also likely decrease by half.

However, the U.S. leader emphasized that testing for the novel coronavirus is a “good thing,” but it has also become a tool for fake news outlets that focus on reporting case numbers.

“If the U.S. didn’t test for COVID-19 among the population, you wouldn’t have the big news stories you do today, because the U.S. is one of the countries with the lowest death rates,” Mr. Trump stated. “When I look at the news, I only see reports filled with case numbers.”

According to Johns Hopkins University, the U.S. currently has the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the world, exceeding 3.4 million, out of approximately 13.3 million cases globally. Despite conducting more tests than any other country, it also has the highest death toll, with over 136,000 fatalities out of around 576,000 worldwide.

Meanwhile, the death toll from COVID-19 in the U.S., which had slowed down over the past 2-3 months, has started to rise again.

The average daily death toll in the U.S. peaked in mid-April at over 2,400 people. After that, it gradually decreased to just over 500 people per day on Independence Day, July 4. However, the latest average death toll has increased again to about 700 people per day as of Monday (July 13).

SOURCE: www.bangkokbiznews.com