President Donald Trump said on Monday that the United States hit a milestone of administering 1 million COVID-19 tests nationally since the spread of the virus that has gripped the nation.
Trump went on to claim that the United States has tested more suspected cases of COVID-19 than any other nation. While Trump’s claim is true, a number of countries have conducted more tests than the United States on a per capita basis.
Trump used Monday’s news conferences to tout the accomplishments of private industries in testing. He showed off on Monday a test kit developed by Abbott Laboratories, which was approved by the FDA late last week. The test can be conducted in 5 to 15 minutes, Abbott Labs says.
Access for tests are still a challenge for many healthcare workers, who are still unable to administer tests for those in low-risk categories and lacking serious symptoms.
Monday’s news conference comes as cases of COVID-19 spread nationwide. In the last four days, the number of coronavirus-related fatalities have doubled to 2,880, according to Johns Hopkins University. Nearly one-fifth of all coronavirus-related fatalities in the United States are from New York City.