Trump Credits Testing for U.S. Surpassing 1 Million Virus Cases

(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump credited expanded U.S. testing for infection by the new coronavirus for the 1 million cases the nation has reported, by far the most in the world.

“That’s a tremendous amount,” Trump said Wednesday in a White House meeting with Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards.

“It’s a number that in one way sounds bad but in another is an indication our testing is more superior,” he said.

U.S. testing for coronavirus infection was delayed compared to other countries, in part because of failures by the government. The nation didn’t exceed 100,000 Americans tested for the disease until March 19, more than eight weeks after the first U.S. case was reported Jan. 20, according to data compiled by the Covid Tracking Project.

But testing has accelerated since the end of last month, with nearly 5.8 million performed so far. The White House released a national strategy on Monday to further expand testing in cooperation with states and private companies.

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