Trump says he urged group to 'slow' COVID-19 testing
22 June, 2020
US President Donald Trump said Saturday he was encouraging health officials found in his administration to decelerate coronavirus assessment, arguing that increased lab tests lead to more cases being discovered.
The president has claimed falsely on several occasions that surges of COVID-19 in several states can be explained by greater amounts of diagnostic tests.
At his primary rally because the outbreak forced nationwide shutdowns in March, Trump told the crowd in Tulsa, Oklahoma that testing was a "double-edged sword."
AMERICA -- which includes more deaths and cases than any other country -- has completed more than 25 million coronavirus tests, inserting it beyond your top 20 countries on the globe, per capita.
"This is actually the bad portion: When you do assessment to that extent, you are going to find more people, you can find more conditions," Trump argued.
"So I thought to my persons 'slow the testing down.' They ensure that you they test."
It was not clear from Trump's tone if he was using to the group, who cheered as he spoke, or if he had been serious.
However, a White House official advised AFP that Trump "was obviously speaking in jest to call up away the media's absurd insurance. We are leading the world in examining, and we happen to be proud to have conducted 25 million plus tests."
The campaign of presidential challenger Joe Biden called Trump's order to slow testing "appalling" and "a transparent try to make the numbers seem better."
Coronavirus instances have spiked in several says, including Oklahoma, and localized health officials had asked Trump to postpone the rally, fearing it could contribute to the spread.
Six participants of an advance workforce working in Tulsa ahead of the rally tested great for COVID-19, the Trump plan said just hours prior to the president took the level.
Source: www.thejakartapost.com
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