Trump: China could have stopped coronavirus from spreading, US investigating

CORONAVIRUS | US President Donald Trump said on Monday that China could have stopped the coronavirus before it swept the globe and said his administration was conducting “serious investigations” into what happened.

“We’re doing very serious investigations ... We are not happy with China,” Trump said at a White House news conference.

“We believe it could have been stopped at the source. It could have been stopped quickly and it wouldn’t have spread all over the world.”

There have been an estimated 211,000 deaths around the world from the disease which is believed to have originated from Wuhan in China's Hubei province. 

The United States has suffered over 56,000 fatalities from more than a million Covid-19 cases, making it by far the worst-hit country. 

Italy, France, Spain and the UK have also suffered over 20,000 deaths each.

On another issue, Trump went on to say he has a good idea how Kim Jong Un is doing and hopes he is fine, after days of speculation over the North Korean leader’s health.

Kim’s whereabouts and whether he had a heart procedure have been a subject of intense speculation in recent weeks. 

Daily NK, a Seoul-based website, reported last week that Kim was recovering after undergoing a cardiovascular procedure on April 12, citing one unnamed source in North Korea. Reuters has not been able to confirm the report.

A special train possibly belonging to Kim was spotted last week at the North Korean resort town of Wonsan, according to satellite images reviewed by 38 North, a Washington-based North Korea monitoring project.

“I can’t tell you exactly,” Trump said when asked about Kim’s condition. “Yes, I do have a very good idea, but I can’t talk about it now. I just wish him well.”

Trump suggested the mystery would be solved soon.

“I hope he’s fine. I do know how he’s doing relatively speaking. We will see - you’ll probably be hearing in the not too distant future,” Trump said.

- Reuters