PoliticoUS still falling short on coronavirus testing, Food and Drug Administration chief Stephen Hahn says
- FDA commissioner warns, however, that having inaccurate test is worse than not having test at all
- US has done more than 2 million tests so far, but this is less than 1 per cent of population
This story is published in a content partnership with POLITICO. It was originally reported by Rishika Dugyala on politico.com on April 12, 2020.
US FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn acknowledged the need to ramp up testing, but on Sunday his tone was cautious: having an inaccurate test is worse than not having a test at all.
Going forward, Hahn said on ABC’s This Week, “further ramping up testing, both diagnostic as well as the antibody tests, will really be necessary as we move beyond May into the summer months and then into the fall.”
The doctor added that the United States has done over 2 million tests, but stated: “We need to do more. No question about that.”
However, the diagnostic testing in the US has focused on those with the most severe symptoms and has been administered to under 1 per cent of the population. Hahn pointed to pressure on the supply chain as why there was a disparity in access to tests across the country – and why places like Germany and South Korea are testing at higher rates.
Still, the commissioner issued a warning as pressures mount on the Trump administration to increase testing capabilities: the science behind the tests has to be “the right science”.