President Trump facing backlash over coronavirus comments

The Trump Administration facing criticism from private health experts for repeatedly attributing the spike in COVID-19 cases to increased testing.

The president is also facing backlash over saying that 99% of the cases are harmless.

ATTRIBUTING THE SPIKE IN U-SCORONAVIRUS CASES - TOINCREASED TESTING.THE PRESIDENT ALSO FACINGBACKLASH - FOR SAYING THAT 99PERCENT OF THE CASES AREHARMLESS.HEALTH EXPERTS SAY - STATEMENTSLIKE THESE - CAUSES CONFUSION.ABC'S ALEX PRESHA HAS MORE FROMWASHINGTON.SCRIPT: AS AMERICA'SCORONAVIRUS INFECTIONS CONTINUETO SURGE, THE CONFLICTINGMESSAGES COMING FROM WITHIN THETRUMP ADMINISTRATION ABOUT THEDEADLINESS OF THE DISEASE ANDTHE EFFECTIVENESS OF SAFETYPRECAUTIONS, IS SOWINGCONFUSION.HERE'S PRESIDENT TRUMP THISWEEKEND: "NOW WE HAVE TESTEDALMOST 40 MILLION PEOPLE..BY SO DOING, WE SHOW CASES 99PERCENT OF WHICH ARE TOTALLYHARMLESS, "THE PRESIDENTSAID THAT 99% OF CORONAVIRUSCASES ARE TOTALLY HARMLESS,WHICH MEMBERS OF THE WHITEHOUSE CORONAVIRUS TASKFORCEAGREE WITH THAT STATEMENT?" SOTKAYLEIGH MCENANY:"THE PRESIDENT WAS NOTING THEFACT THAT THE VAST MAJORITY OFAMERICANS WHO CONTRACTCORONAVIRUS WILL COME OUT ONTHE OTHER SIDE OF THIS.A PIVOT FROM HIS PRESSSECRETARY.BUT FDA DIRECTOR STEPHEN HAHN-WHILE NOT REFUTING THEPRESIDENT'S FALSE CLAIM, DIDN'TBACK IT UP.NAT POP YOU KNOW ANY CASE WEDON'T WANT TO HAVE.AND ANOTHER MEMBER OF THECORONAVIRUS TASK FORCE - DR.ANTHONY FAUCI -- GAVE A DIRECTCONTRADICTION.SOT FAUCI: THE CURRENT STATE ISREALLY NOT GOOD.//IT'S ASERIOUS SITUATION THAT WE HAVETO ADDRESS IMMEDIATELY ONTWITTER TODAY, THE PRESIDENTCONTINUES TO PUSH THE MALARIADRUG, HYDROXYCHLORIQUINE AS ATREATMENT FOR THE CORONAVIRUS,DESPITE SEVERAL TRIALS OF THEDRUG BEING HALTED DUE TO IT'SINEFFECTIVENESS AGAINST COVID.THERE ARE NEARLY 3-MILLIONCONFIRMED CASES IN THE U-S.THE PRESIDENT HAS ATTRIBUTEDTHAT TO AN INCREASE IN TESTING.WHILE ADMINISTRATION TASK FORCEMEMBERS HAVEN'T FLATLYREJECTED THAT ARGUMENT, PRIVATEHEALTH EXPERTS HAVEN'T BEEN SORELUCTANT.SOT DR.ASHIS JHA: THE REASON WE'RESEEING AN INCREASE IS BECAUSEOF MORE INFECTIONS NOT BECAUSEOF MORE TESTING AND THENTHERE'S THE DEATH TOLL -- MOREAND LABS BACKED UP.INARIZONA MANY ARE FRUSTRATED BYTHEIR INABILITY TO GET TESTS.AND SOME LABS ARE TAKING ASLONG AS 10 DAYS TO RETURNRESULTS.QUEST DIAGNOSTICS - SAYING THEYCAN HAVE RESULTS IN 1 DAY FORPRIORITY PATIENTS..BUT "4-6 DAYS FOR ALL OTHERPOPULATIONS." TRACING HAS ALSOBECOME INCREASINGLY DIFFICULTTAG: TODAY AT LEAST NINE STATESHAVE REPORTED RECORD NUMBERSOF INFECTIONS OVER THE JULYFOURTH WEEKEND.ALEX PRESHA ABC NEWS,WASHINGTON.OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTH