Dr. Anthony Fauci made a call for coronavirus testing in the United States to double over the next several weeks for states to get through Phase 1 of the Reopening America Again guidelines, but the coronavirus task force said Monday he is selling the U.S. capacity short.
"We are going to have much more than double very soon," Trump told reporters at the White House task force daily briefing in the Rose Garden on Monday. "Now, there are big believers in testing, and then there are some governors that don't feel as strongly about it as all. You know that.
"We are going with maximum testing, because it's something we are very capable of doing. But we will be much more than doubled."
Vice President Mike Pence, the leader of the task force, added doubling had already took place Saturday as a U.S.-high 200,000 COVID-19 tests were completed, adding there have been 5.4 million U.S. tests conducted to date. That number easily beat Pence's onetime bold vow to have 5 million tests done by the end of the 30 days to slow the spread April 30.
"It is remarkable to think of the pace of acceleration," Pence said, praising Trump's leadership on the public-private partnerships in testing."
Pence added: "Some of the experts say that we need be at, whether it be 300,000 tests a day or 500,000 tests a day: What is remarkable to me is because of the partnership you have forged, we are almost there, and we will be there very, very soon for the American people."
Adm. Brett Giroir, who is leading the work with getting medical supplies to states, added next month, the U.S. will be able to do more than 8 million tests per month.
"Let's just assume that Dr. Fauci was talking about a 4 million per month number, which is sort of a week ago where we are," Adm. Giroir added. "So, we will come according to the governors' plan for next month, we will easily double that 4 million number."
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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