WASHINGTON • President Donald Trump, under fire over his handling of the coronavirus epidemic, has announced that the federal government would ship 150 million rapid tests to states across the US and warned that an increase in positive cases is likely in the days ahead.
Mr Trump on Monday said the tests would largely be used for opening schools and ensuring safety at centres for senior citizens.
He has been pressuring state governors to do more to open schools for in-person learning.
Mr Trump, Vice-President Mike Pence and virus adviser Scott Atlas warned that more positive cases may result from stepped-up testing.
"With cases and positivity rising in 10 states in the Midwest and the near-west, and with this historic advance in testing that's being distributed... the American people should anticipate that cases will rise in the days ahead," Mr Pence said.
The President has repeatedly suggested that more testing leads to more cases, when in fact testing uncovers cases that already exist.
Other metrics like increased hospitalisations and deaths have no link to more testing.
The United States has the world's highest number of confirmed Covid-19 cases, at more than seven million, and the most coronavirus-related deaths, at more than 205,000.
Members of the coronavirus task force - Dr Anthony Fauci, Dr Deborah Birx and Centres for Disease Control and Prevention director Robert Redfield - were not at Monday's event.
Mr Trump said 50 million tests will go to the "most vulnerable communities", including nursing homes, assisted living facilities, home health and hospice care. Nearly one million will be sent to historically black colleges and universities and tribal nation colleges.
He also said 100 million tests will be given to states and territories to "support efforts to reopen their economies and schools immediately and (as) fast as they can".
"The support my administration is providing would allow every state on a very regular basis to test every teacher who needs it," he said, adding that 6.5 million tests will go out this week and the rest in the coming weeks.
Mr Trump is trying to show progress in the battle against the pandemic as he campaigns for re-election on Nov 3 against Democrat Joe Biden.
REUTERS