The Trump administration’s coronavirus testing coordinator said he’s not content with the coronavirus test turnaround time.
During a Sunday interview with CNN anchor Jake Tapper, Adm. Brett Giroir told the network host he’s unhappy with the time it takes for test results to come back after hearing that former chief of staff Mick Mulvaney’s son waited five to seven days for results.
“Everyone agrees testing has improved, but it is not where it needs to be. Why not?” Tapper asked.
“We are not going to stop our efforts until testing is exactly where we want it to be with rapid turnaround times,” Giroir began, stating that the Trump administration has conducted over 54 million tests.
“I know you’re a numbers guy, so I want to make sure we have this clear. About one-quarter of the tests in this country are done as point-of-care. That’s a 15-minute turnaround. About another quarter are done at local hospitals and laboratories, which is generally within 24 hours. The delays that most people talk about are at the large commercial labs that perform about half the testing in our country. Now, the data are the average turnaround is 4.27 days,” he continued, saying he follows the number regularly.
“Are you happy with where testing is right now?” Tapper asked as a follow-up.
“I’m never gonna be happy until we have this under control,” Giroir responded, noting the federal government is working to expedite the pace of testing results.
Quest Diagnostics, large commercial lab performing testing, said that its coronavirus testing turnaround time increased approximately four to five days since the end of June. Testing results now take “seven or more days,” according to a statement from the lab.
