President Donald Trump says the US has "passed the peak" of new Covid-19 cases and predicted some states would reopen this month.

At the daily White House virus briefing, Mr Trump said new reopening guidelines would be announced on Thursday after he speaks to governors.

"We'll be the comeback kids, all of us," the president said. "We want to get our country back."

The US has nearly 640,000 confirmed Covid-19 cases and over 30,800 deaths.


Media captionTrump says US is investigating claims that coronavirus originated in a Wuhan lab
"The data suggests that nationwide, we have passed the peak of new cases," Mr Trump told reporters in the Rose Garden on Wednesday.

"Hopefully that will continue, and we will continue to make great progress."

Why is NYC reporting a sudden surge in virus deaths?
Asked why the US accounted for such a significant proportion of the global death toll of 136,908, Mr Trump accused other countries of lying about their mortality rate.

"Does anybody really believe the numbers of some of these countries?" he said, naming China.

He also said the US was looking into unverified reports that the coronavirus emerged from a laboratory in Wuhan rather than in a market.

US media have reported that the US embassy in Beijing raised concerns about safety at two laboratories in Wuhan. However on Tuesday General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that US intelligence services believed it was more likely that the virus occurred naturally.


Media captionCoronavirus: The unexpected items deemed "essential"
The Trump administration has previously pencilled in 1 May as a possible date to reopen the nation, but the president said some states may be able to return to normalcy earlier than that.

When questioned about the dangers of reopening the nation too soon, Mr Trump said: "There's also death involved in keeping it closed."

He cited mental health issues, saying suicide hotlines were "exploding" as the economy freezes.

Millions of Americans have lost their jobs due to lockdown measures across the country, and unemployment numbers are at record levels.

Retail sales dropped by 8.7% in March, the biggest decline since tracking began in 1992, according to government data released on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the governors of Connecticut, Maryland, New York and Pennsylvania each issued orders or guidelines that residents should wear face masks as they venture into society in the coming weeks.


Media captionAre we heading into a new great recession?
"We are going to be getting back to normal - it will be a new normal," Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont said.

On Wednesday, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said large gatherings such as sports events and concerts would probably not be allowed in the city until 2021.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo meanwhile said China must show "full transparency" on coronavirus, during a call with his Beijing counterpart, Yang Jiechi, the Department of State said.

Mr Pompeo has repeatedly accused Beijing of covering up the scale of the outbreak in the early days, which China denies.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52304993

Good news.
My heart is with the families who lost their love ones to this pandemic

"there's also death involved in keeping it closed"...President wey oil dey him head..no be dat naija legbere.

Trump is too forward in all spheres.

A welcome development

Bubuhari is a f**l

I Love Mr.Trump

The Most Patrotic Leader on Earth!

Illiterate buffoon playing politics with Coronavirus.
He is now trying to claim credit when he claimed not to be responsible some days back.

It is the state governors that will reopen their states and not this president who can't
even qualify as a store clerk.

We are watching. I know those states governor are cursing him right now.

Xisnin:
Illiterate buffoon playing politics with Coronavirus.
He is now trying to claim credit when he claimed not to be responsible some days back.

It is the state governors that will reopen their states and not this president who can't
even qualify as a store clerk.

lamentations of a shithole citizen.

Lipscomb:
We are watching. I know those states governor are cursing him right now.

Please check my thread....I will like to DM you

Xisnin:
Illiterate buffoon playing politics with Coronavirus.
He is now trying to claim credit when he claimed not to be responsible some days back.

It is the state governors that will reopen their states and not this president who can't
even qualify as a store clerk.

Lol... Someone like you who voted Buhari questioning a renowned businessman, one of the richest men in the world and the usa president??

Check bro, are you ok??

Jokerman:


Lol... Someone like you who voted Buhari

Vote Buhari?
What a joke.

questioning a renowned businessman, one of the richest men in the world and the usa president??

A renowned conman with net negative worth.
Being a president of the US means nothing.
It doesn't mean the person is sane, good or straightforward.
He just had a higher proportion of the electoral college votes.

The bragging scammer is so rich that he is afraid to publish his tax returns.
Stop worshipping white scammers

Check bro, are you ok??

But for the coronavirus outbreak, I would have advised you to visit Yaba left for a checkup.