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Trump urges slowdown in COVID-19 testing, calling it a 'double-edge sword'

Middle East

21-06-2020 | 05:03

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Trump urges slowdown in COVID-19 testing, calling it a 'double-edge sword'

U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday told thousands of cheering supporters he had asked U.S. officials to slow down testing for the novel coronavirus, calling it a "double-edged sword" that led to more cases being discovered.

Trump said the United States had now tested 25 million people, far more than other countries.

"When you do testing to that extent, you're going to find more people you're going to find more cases. So I said to my people slow the testing down, please," Trump told a campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where many supporters were not wearing face masks.

A White House official said Trump was joking about his call for a slowdown in testing.

"He was obviously kidding. We are leading the world in testing and have conducted 25 million + in testing," the official said.

REUTERS

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