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Trump hasn’t ordered slowdown of coronavirus testing, says US disease expert Fauci
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https://scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3090500/us-cuts-funding-coronavirus-testing-five-states United States & Canada
US cuts funding for coronavirus testing in five states amid spike in cases
- Trump administration defends move to cut support for sites in Texas, New Jersey, Colorado and Pennsylvania
- President has said he asked for testing to be slowed down, even as health officials denied receiving orders to do so
A health care worker takes down a patient’s information at a Covid-19 testing site in Houston on Wednesday. Photo: AP
The Trump administration said on Wednesday that it would no longer directly fund 13 of its original coronavirus testing sites in five states, saying states were allocated money for testing by the federal government last month.
US Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Brett Giroir said in a call with reporters that the 13 sites were those left among 41 sites the agency set up when the new coronavirus pandemic hit earlier this year, before moving on from the “antiquated” programme to newer testing programmes.
NBC reported on Wednesday that funding and support for the sites in Illinois, New Jersey, Colorado and Pennsylvania as well as Texas would end on June 30. Giroir called the NBC report misleading and said there are thousands of testing options.
The move has caused concern, especially in Texas, which reported more than 5,000 new cases on Tuesday, a record for the state.
“It is clear Covid-19 testing is needed now more than ever,” Umair Shah, the head of Public Health in Harris County, which includes hard-hit Houston, wrote in a letter last week requesting extended aid until August 30. The intensive-care unit in Houston is nearly full, according to local officials.
President Donald Trump has lamented the rising US coronavirus cases and sought to put the onus on increased testing, which he said makes the United States look bad.
He told a weekend political rally that he asked for testing to be slowed down, something White House and top US health officials have said was not requested.
Giroir said on Wednesday that he had not been asked to slow testing, which he expects to rise to at least 40 million to 50 million tests per month by the fall.
The official added that he had spoken to leaders of the five states, noting they had agreed “it was the appropriate time to transition” to other options. He said the states could use the more than US$10 billion allocated last month to support testing to keep the sites open if they chose to.
The federal government fully funds a newer testing programme with 600 sites in pharmacies and other health care settings and also pays the test costs of a third programme run with CVS Health Corp at 1,000 locations, he said.
Additional reporting by Bloomberg