The number of US cases of the novel coronavirus surged to more than 900 on Tuesday, according to an AFP tally, after public health experts criticized authorities for downplaying the epidemic and lagging behind in testing efforts. The rise is linked to an expansion in testing as the bulk of diagnoses have shifted from federal to state laboratories. Writing in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) on Monday, academics from Johns Hopkins University and Stanford University said the failings had contributed to the virus taking root across the country.
