The government “system” could not hold a candle to the private sector on coronavirus testing, Dr. Anthony Fauci explained Thursday during an Instagram story interview with NBA star Steph Curry, which is why the U.S. has seen a drastic uptick in accurate and widespread test kits available.
“We have hundreds of thousands of tests that are out there now, mostly because we got the private sector involved, of the companies who know how to make it well, make large amounts,” Fauci told the Golden State Warriors player.
Wanting to know what the holdup is to those tests being available “to the masses,” Fauci said there shouldn’t be anything now.
“Originally, the system, the way it was set up, Steph, was not geared to this kind of massive capability of instantaneously, safely getting a test, getting it done in a really good period of time – not days and days, but hours,” he explained.
“Right now, the system is changed, predominately because it’s being handed over to the commercial firms who know how to do it,” he added. “It started off as a public health measure from the CDC, it now needs to be, and is being handed off to, the commercial group.”
Dr. Fauci: Govt testing system was inadequate, private sector made difference
— Elizabeth Harrington (@LizRNC) March 27, 2020
"Hundreds of thousands of tests are out there now..because we got private sector involved
"The system is changed predominately because it's being handed over to commercial firms who know how to do it" pic.twitter.com/sKILn8woEZ
As for when the U.S. may be able to return to a degree of normalcy, Fauci said, “You need to see the trajectory of the curve start to come down.”
