The nation’s top infectious disease expert told lawmakers the next couple of weeks are going to be critical in fighting the rising outbreaks across the US
The United States has performed nearly 22 million tests for Covid-19 since the pandemic began, says Admiral Brett Giroir, the assistant secretary for health at the US Department of Health and Human Services.
In his opening statement, prepared for his testimony before the House Energy and Commerce Committee and posted online, Giroir says the US is “now at a rate of between 400,000 and 500,000 tests per day, and this number will continue to increase.”
His comments come after President Trump came under fire over the weekend for saying at a rally that that he told staff to slow down testing for the disease due to rising new cases in the US.
The US Food and Drug Administration continues to grant emergency use authorizations for Covid-19 tests in “record number,” Giroir says. “The amount and expediency in which EUAs were issued for Covid-19 tests far exceed past viral outbreaks.”
Giroir says in 2016, during the Zika outbreak, the FDA issued 20 test EUAs. In 2009, for H1N1, there were 17 test EUAs.
“As of June 12, 2020, FDA has issued more than 135 Covid-19 test EUAs,” Giroir said.
Important note: Giroir doesn’t specify in his opening statement which type of test he is referring to – those that check for current infection or those that check for past infection. It is also important to note many individuals have received multiple tests.
