‘Let’s admit it’: US coronavirus testing not working as it should be, claims top health official Dr Fauci

President has insisted that testing is going smoothly

Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has admitted America is failing on coronavirus testing – contradicting claims by Donald Trump that testing is going well.

Speaking at a House hearing concerning Covid-19 on Thursday, Dr Fauci said that the country’s health system had hindered widespread tests.

“The system is not really geared to what we need right now,” said Dr Fauci, “that is a failing. Let’s admit it.”

Answering questions from congresowman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, he said that the country was not prepared for the level of testing needed.

“The idea of anybody getting it easily the way people in other countries are doing it, we’re not set up for that,” he said. “Do I think we should be? Yes. But we’re not.”​

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Responding to Dr Fauci’s claims at the hearing, Ms Schultz said: “That’s really disturbing and I appreciate the information.”

Mr Trump insisted on Thursday that testing was going to plan, telling reporters: “Frankly, the testing has been going very smooth,” before adding, “if you go to the right agency, if you go to the right area, you get the test.”

In opposition to Mr Trump’s claims, politicians said that fewer than 10,000 people had currently been tested for Covid-19 in the US and senator James Lankford told Politico that widespread testing was still far off.​

“They’re ramping up, but they’re still saying it’s two weeks before we can get widespread testing,” he said.

There are currently 1,323 confirmed cases of coronavirus across the US with 38 deaths, leading to residents of 26 nations being banned from entering the country.

Vice president Mike Pence refused to confirm on Wednesday how many people had been tested for the virus, instead telling CNN he “would leave that to the experts". The health secretay, Alex Azar, also said this week that he did not know how many people had been tested because some of the centres testing kits had been sent to were not required to report results.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) update a map showing locations of testing centres on a daily basis.

“As of the evening of March 10, 79 state and local public health labs in 50 states and the District of Columbia have successfully verified and are currently using Covid-19 diagnostic tests,” reads their website.