FILE PHOTO: President of the United States, Donald Trump, attends the “Spirit of America Showcase” event at the Cross Hall of the White House in Washington, USA, on July 2, 2020. REUTERS / Tom Brenner / File Photo
(Reuters) – President Donald Trump once again praised U.S. coronavirus testing as COVID-19 cases in the country increased by more than 55,000 on Thursday, a new daily world record for the pandemic.
A surge in coronavirus cases over the past week has put Trump’s handling of the crisis under a microscope and has led several governors to halt plans to reopen their states after strict blockades.
“There is an increase in coronavirus cases because our tests are very massive and very good, much bigger and better than any other country,” Trump said in a tweet Thursday night.
“This is great news, but even better news is that death and death rates have dropped,” he said.
The daily case count in the US was 55,274 on Thursday night, beating the previous single-day record of 54,771 set by Brazil on June 19.
The wave of new cases has multiple governors stopping or backing down on plans to reopen their states after months of strict closings, beach closings, and canceling fireworks over the upcoming Independence Day weekend.
The United States has now recorded nearly 129,000 deaths from the outbreak, nearly a quarter of the known world total.
More than 10.89 million people are reported to be infected with the new coronavirus worldwide and 520,066 have died, according to a Reuters count. The United States alone has recorded about 2.76 million cases.
Infections have been reported in more than 210 countries and territories since the first cases were identified in China late last year.
Kanishka Singh’s report in Bangalore; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan
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