China, Korea report new infections; Trump wants less testing

BEIJING (AP) — China and South Korea reported new coronavirus cases Sunday in outbreaks that threatened to set back their recovery, while President Donald Trump said he told his government to reduce U.S. testing to avoid unflattering statistics showing rising infections.

Chinese authorities reported 25 new confirmed cases — 22 in Beijing and three in neighboring Hebei province. They said 2.3 million people have been tested in an effort to contain the outbreak in the capital that led to the closure of its biggest wholesale food market.

In South Korea, authorities reported 48 new cases. Half were in the capital, Seoul. Ten were in the central city of Daejong, suggesting the virus was spreading more widely as anti-disease measures are relaxed.

The head of the World Health Organization warned Friday the virus’s global spread was accelerating after a daily high of 150,000 new cases was reported the previous day.

The new coronavirus has killed more than 454,000 people and infected more than 8.5 million, according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The true number is thought to be much higher because many cases go untested.

At a campaign rally, Trump said Saturday he has told his administration to slow down virus testing. He said the United States has tested 25 million people, but the “bad part” is that found more cases.

“When you do testing to that extent, you’re going to find more people, you’re going to find more cases,” Trump said in Tulsa, Oklahoma. “So I said to my people, ‘Slow the testing down, please.’ “

The campaign of his likely Democratic rival in November’s presidential election, former Vice President Joe Biden, accused Trump in a statement of “putting politics ahead of the safety and economic well-being of the...