Trump Admin Testing Czar Says COVID-19 Surges in US Is ‘Not Just a Function of Testing’
The United States is recording an average of 73,094 new coronavirus cases per day, and health experts worry that the surge in cases will get worse as the weather gets colder. However, President Donald Trump asserts that…
The United States is recording an average of 73,094 new coronavirus cases per day, and health experts worry that the surge in cases will get worse as the weather gets colder.
However, President Donald Trump asserts that the surge in cases is the result of more testing and the country is “rounding the final turn” in terms of the outbreak.
However, the White House coronavirus testing czar Admiral Brett Giroir told NBC News’ “Today” on Wednesday that the surge is not just the result of more testing.
“We do believe, and the data show that cases are going up. It’s not just a function of testing,” Giroir said.
He continued, “Yes, we’re getting more cases identified, but the cases are actually going up. And we know that, too, because hospitalizations are going up.”
He noted that while new hospitalizations for the virus are on the rise, “We’re still tens of thousands of hospitalizations below where we were in July.”
However, he stressed, “We can control the virus. We know how to do that.”
He added:
“We can reverse that. I just want everybody to know, nobody’s waving the white flag. The American people can make a difference, you’ve done a great job. Americans have defeated this before in July and August. We have to do the same thing now. Because, as you said, we’re entering the winter period, there’s more chances to spread particularly in-doors in small gatherings.”
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He went on to encourage Americans to practice social distancing, good hand washing, avoid crowded gatherings, and wear masks.
On top of those measures, Giroir called for even more testing, “Please increase testing. We’re only using about a third of our nation’s testing capacity right now. We do need to test more people, especially in these outbreak areas.”
In recent days the president accused the media of devoting too much attention to the virus.
During a rally in Michigan on Tuesday, he said, “It’s ‘COVID, COVID, COVID,’ you can’t watch anything else. On November 4th, you won’t be hearing so much about it.”