Appearing on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Tennessee GOP Senator Lamar Alexander said the only solution for economic recovery is testing for coronavirus. The White House continues to encourage states to reopen despite the fact that testing is limited.
“The only solution is test, trace, isolate, treatments and vaccines,” Alexander said.
The death toll from coronavirus in the U.S. is nearly 80,000 as of Sunday morning with more than twelve thousand fatalities in the last week.
Alexander echoed the comments of Dr. Deborah Birx of the White House task force who said the U.S. needs a breakthrough in testing.
And one test that’s just been approved could be “a game changer.” according to Dr. Scott Gottlieb, a former commissioner of the FDA. Gottlieb appeared on the CBS News program “Face the Nation.”
The antigen test is conducted in a doctors office using a nasal swab and the results can be obtained in 5 minutes. According to Dr. Gottlieb, they are 85% accurate.