President Donald Trump says the coronavirus pandemic has been worse for the United States than Pearl Harbor and the 9/11 terror attacks as he renews his criticism of China, saying the outbreak should have been stopped there.
Mr Trump said fallout from the pandemic has hit the United States harder than the 7 December, 1941 Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor or the 11 September, 2001 Al-Qaeda attacks on New York and Washington.
"This is really the worst attack we've ever had," he told reporters at the White House on Wednesday.
"This is worse than Pearl Harbor. This is worse than the World Trade Center."
The surprise Japanese attack on the Pearl Harbor naval base in Hawaii drew the United States into World War II. The 9/11 terrorist attacks killed about 3,000 people, triggering two decades of US wars and anti-terrorism operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries.
US President Donald Trump has again taken aim at China's handling of COVID-19. Source: AAP
Mr Trump also lashed out at China, continuing a war of words over the origins of the deadly virus that emerged in Wuhan last year.
"It should have never happened," he said. "Could have been stopped at the source. Could have been stopped in China."
China hit back Wednesday at US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo over his claims the virus originated in a laboratory in Wuhan, saying he does not have any evidence.
"This matter should be handed to scientists and medical professionals, and not politicians who lie for their own domestic political ends," .
Scientists believe the disease originated in animals and jumped to humans - possibly in a Wuhan wet market where wild animals were sold.
So far, nearly 72,000 Americans have died of COVID-19 and the former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicted on Wednesday that the toll in the US was on track to top 100,000 by the end of May.
Physician Tom Frieden warned US lawmakers to brace for a "long and difficult" war against the virus and urged dramatically expanding testing to rein in the pandemic.
"Until we have an effective vaccine, unless something unexpected happens, our viral enemy will be with us for many months or years," Mr Frieden said.
The pandemic has killed more than 260,000 people globally and officially infected nearly 3.7 million, although with limited testing the number is believed to be far higher.
Europe accounts for the lion's share of deaths and infections, though hardest hit Britain, Italy, Spain and France have started a levelling off of new cases and fatalities.
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