Fauci Says Trump Considering Coronavirus Strategy Change: Group Testing

TOPLINE

As cases spike and outbreaks spiral out of control in several states, the Trump administration is considering pivoting to a new testing strategy — testing people in groups — in a ploy to speed up the process and make it more efficient, the Washington Post reports.

KEY FACTS

Crucial quote

Using the pool testing method, health officials would combine samples from a large number of people and use one one test on the entire pool. If the test is negative, researchers would move on to the next pool of samples and would only test people individually if the test came back positive.  “What you need to do is find the penetration of infected people in your society,” Fauci told the Post. “And the only way you know that is by casting a broad net.”

Big number

39,327. The U.S. set a record for infections reported in a single day for the second day in a row on Thursday. 

Tangent

With case numbers rising, some states are now hitting the pause button, rolling back reopening plans. Texas, Louisiana, Idaho, New York, North Carolina, Kansas, Maine, Nevada and Oregon are all delaying reopening plans in some capacity.

Key background

The U.S. has dramatically ramped up testing, administering more than 400,000 tests per day, compared with fewer than 20,000 tests per day in early March, but any claim the spike in cases can be blamed on the increase in testing is misleading. In some states, positivity rates are rising even as testing expands; more than 20 states — most of them in the South and Midwest — have positivity rates higher than 5%, the threshold the World Health Organization says states should stay below to safely reopen.

Further reading

The Health 202: The Trump administration is eyeing a new testing strategy for coronavirus, Anthony Fauci says (Washington Post)

Trump—After ‘Slow The Testing Down’ Remark—Will End Federal Funding For Testing Sites (Forbes)

‘I Don’t Kid’: Trump Says He Wasn’t Joking About Slowing Testing (Forbes)

U.S. sets another single-day record for new coronavirus cases (Washington Post)

The Great Coronavirus Pause: With Covid-19 Cases Hitting Record Highs, These States Are Rolling Back Reopening Plans (Forbes)