The Independent employs journalists from around the world to bring you truly independent journalism. To support us, consider a contribution.
America’s leading infectious disease expert The US, Anthony Fauci, has undermined Donald Trump’s claim that he ordered his health policy advisers to reduce the testing rate to reduce the number of reported cases in the US. USA
“None of us have been told to slow down the testing. That is a fact,” Fauci told a House committee, a direct contradiction of Trump’s comments at a rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, during the Weekend.
“In fact, we will be doing more testing,” Fauci said, noting a plan outlined by the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Robert Redfield to power testing and tracking systems.
Mr. Fauci, Mr. Redfield and two other top health experts testified at a House Energy and Commerce Committee oversight hearing on the Covid-19 pandemic on Tuesday.
Download the new Independent Premium app
Share the full story, not just the headlines
In his demonstration in Tulsa, Trump compared the coronavirus tests to a “double-edged sword”, lamenting the possibility that the US. USA Have more cases of the disease than anyone else due to its robust testing regimen, which was initially delayed but has since caught up and outclassed many parts of the rest of the world. (Despite Trump’s complaints, people who test positive still carry the virus, undermining their implicit desire for less evidence.)
“Here’s the bad part: When you test up to that point, you are going to find more people, you are going to find more cases. So I said to my people, ‘Slow down the testing, please,’ “the president said.
The White House later withdrew the statement made by the president, saying he was joking about asking to delay testing.
White House economic adviser Peter Navarro called the moment “ironic” in an interview with CNN on Sunday.
But on Tuesday, when asked by a journalist if he was joking about ordering health officials to withdraw the evidence, Trump replied, “I’m not kidding.”
It was unclear if Trump heard the entire question, as the engines of the executive’s Marine One helicopter buzzed in the background.
“We have the best testing program anywhere in the world,” added Trump. “By having more evidence, we find more cases … By having more cases, it sounds bad.”
Although the President continued to complain about the poor view that the US USA It has more cases than any other country in the world, the senior health officials of its administration urged that the tests continue as Covid-19 cases increase again in some states, most of which began the process of reopening before states that have seen a decline or stagnation of confirmed cases.
“All of us have been and remain committed to increasing prompt and timely access to testing,” Redfield told lawmakers Tuesday.
Fauci said he is “cautiously optimistic”: A vaccine will be ready for mass consumption in the United States in late 2020 or early 2021.
“Although the safety and efficacy of a vaccine can never be guaranteed until testing is done in the field, we are cautiously optimistic due to the concerted effort and the fact that we are taking financial risks to get ahead of the game. that when … we get favorable candidates with good results, we will be able to make them available to the American public, “Fauci said, adding that the US government is financially assisting 14 vaccine candidates.
.
