Trump says the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the US is a 'badge of honor'.

Sputnik The US president responded to criticism about the alleged lack of testing in the country, saying that the high number of cases is because "our tests are much better."

Donald Trump has faced widespread criticism This was seen as a slow response to the pandemic and delays in the efficient mobilization of COVID-19 testing across the country, which was hampered by a lack of availability of crucial equipment and supplies.

The US president said during the first cabinet meeting at the White House since the outbreak of COVID-19 in the US, on Tuesday (19), that it was "a badge of honor" for the country to have the highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the world.

"By the way, you know when you say that we lead in cases, that's because we have more tests than the rest of the world. So, when we have many cases, I don't see that as a bad thing."I see this as, in a way, a good thing, because it means our tests are much better," Trump said.

The US president, responding to a reporter's question about whether he was introducing a travel ban against Brazil primarily due to the increase in COVID-19 cases there, added:

"So I see this as a badge of honor. It really is a badge of honor. It's a great tribute to the testing and all the work that many professionals have done."

Fighting coronavirus

Members of the U.S. cabinet hailed the president's efforts in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, with Vice President Mike Pence, who has been leading the coronavirus task force, announcing that all 50 U.S. states have partially reopened their economies.

The American people "are breathing fresh air and doing so responsibly," Pence stated. quoted broadcast by CNN.

A tweet from the Democratic National Committee called 1,5 million COVID-19 cases and "complete leadership failure" on the part of the president.

The testing rates for coronavirus and the initial handling of the pandemic by the US presidential administration have been criticized.

In late April, Trump stated at a White House coronavirus task force briefing that criticism of the country's COVID-19 testing capacity was "partisan," adding that "we're dealing with politics, we're dealing with something called November 3rd, it's called the presidential election."

The US president assigned responsibility to the states this month.

By May 19, the U.S. had conducted 12,6 million coronavirus tests. Between 300 and 400 tests were conducted daily in the U.S. last week. second The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Statistics for the USA

Currently, the United States They have more than 1,5 million cases. registered cases of coronavirus, with the death toll around 92, according with Johns Hopkins University.

Second According to Our World in Data, a scientific publication based at the University of Oxford, UK, the US has conducted more tests for the new respiratory illness, by volume, than any other country. However, this is not true on a per capita basis.

The US ranks 38th in the world in terms of tests per million people. according The Worldometer portal places them ahead of Germany or South Korea, but behind Spain, Portugal, Russia, Italy, or the United Kingdom.