Trump said the U.S. has gone round the world in testing for COVID-19: why isn't it a victory

According to Trump, the United States was ahead of all other countries in the world in testing for coronavirus infection COVID-19. But this statement does not mean that Americans are really tested the best. What's the matter? Tells CNN.

Photo: video frame YouTube / The White House

At a press conference at the White House on Monday, May 11, US President Donald Trump spoke from a podium between two large banners that read, “America Leads in Testing.”

This was stated by the president himself during a speech. At first glance, this is an achievement, but it's not so simple.

Although the United States may have performed the largest number of tests for coronavirus, the country is not at all the world leader in testing per capita, numerous studies show.

And health experts say that the US is not close to the testing indicators that are necessary for a safe economic recovery.

How many tests have been done?

By May 12, about 9,6 million tests were conducted in the United States, according to the COVID-19 tracking project.

According to researchers from Oxford University, on May 11, the United States conducted an average of 28,24 tests per 1000 people.

It is important to note that some people have passed the tests several times. For example, Vice President Mike Pence referred to his frequent testing as the reason he decided not to wear a face shield.

Public health experts say there is no need to check every American virus. But they argue that in the United States they still do not conduct enough tests to stop the spread of the virus for the safe opening of the economy.

The Harvard Institute of Global Health said that by May 15, the United States should test at least 900 people a day.

“This comes as experts are increasingly confident that the United States is doing worse during this outbreak than previously thought,” the institute said. “Social distancing measures have been able to stem the sharp rise in infections and deaths, but unlike many other countries, new cases are falling very slowly.”

On May 11, Trump announced that the United States conducted about 300 tests per day.

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How the US copes with other countries

There is no single, definite ranking system, as there are differences in how some countries report testing.

“The number of tests does not mean the same thing in every country—some countries report the number of people tested, while others report all tests carried out (this figure may be higher if the same person is tested more than once).” , said the Oxford researchers on their website OurWorldInData.org.

CNN studied different ratings and found that in many other countries, per capita testing rates are higher.

Worldometer, an independent data aggregation site, reports that the United States had the highest initial number of tests completed on May 12. But at the same time, according to the site, more than 30 countries were rated higher than the US for per capita testing.

According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), as of April 26, the United States was ranked 22nd in terms of the number of tests per capita.

Photo: Shutterstock

FactCheck.org, a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, where Trump once studied, said the president's April claim that the U.S. conducts more tests than "every country combined" was "far from the truth." "

“The total number of tests in the U.S. is indeed more than any single country has reportedly completed, but no more than all other countries combined,” FactCheck.org said.

“Aggregating just the number of tests conducted by Russia, Germany and Italy—the next three countries that have conducted the most tests—yields a higher figure... So, Trump's claim is not even close to accurate.”

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Republican Senators Say Testing Still Inadequate

Lawmakers called on the administration to continue to scale up testing to help states open businesses and schools.

“All routes back to work and school are tested. And what our country has already done is impressive, but it’s not enough,” Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee said May 12.

Senator Mitt Romney, a Republican from Utah, doubted that the administration conducts more tests than in South Korea, including more tests per capita.

But South Korea gained control of the virus much earlier during its outbreak, thanks to fast and widespread testing. The US was much slower, partly due to faulty test kits.

In South Korea, the death toll from COVID-19 was below 300, Romney said, while the death toll in the United States is over 82 and continues to grow.

“I think there's nothing to celebrate about our testing record,” Romney said. “The thing is (in South Korea) the testing numbers are going down and down and down because they don't have that outbreak right now. Ours grow, up and up, because they have to grow.”

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