Adm. Brett Giroir, assistant secretary for health at the Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. coronavirus supply-chain czar, said Tuesday that states must test at least 2% of their population each month, preferably more.
"The 2% really is sort of a minimum floor — there are many states that want to do 4%, 6%, 8% every month," Giroir told ABC's "Good Morning America" on Tuesday. "We have the supply chains figured out. We know what we can supply the states, so we really are much more sophisticated."
He said, "This is a massive amount of tests, and in many states we're going to be doing 4%, 5%, 6%, 8%, according to the state guidelines. We know for a fact that we can supply those states with the full supply chain — the swabs, the media, the testing capability — to achieve those goals."
An estimated 5.5 million tests have been conducted in the United States so far, but experts say the country should be testing at least 1% of the population each week to get a full picture of the coronavirus' spread.
"So tests are absolutely important — they're critical, they will be expanded dramatically as we reopen, but it's not the only tool we have in the toolbox," Giroir said.
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.