Testing Czar Brett Giroir Breaks With Trump: It’s Not Just More Testing, Covid Cases ‘Are Actually Going Up’
Adm. Brett Giroir contradicted President Donald Trump’s talking points by warning that coronavirus cases are on the rise in America, and it’s not just because of more testing.
The Health and Human Services assistant secretary gave an interview to Today Wednesday morning, where he warned NBC’s Savannah Guthrie that more Covid-19 upticks are likely as the country moves into the winter months. To this end, Giroir stressed the importance of mask-wearing and public safety guidelines, saying “if we don’t do those things, it may force local officials or government officials in the states to have more draconian measures because cases will go up if we don’t make a change.”
Giroir deflected when asked if he’s frustrated by Trump pushing “mixed messages” on masks, re-emphasizing instead that masks and testing are crucial for mitigation until a vaccine is ready. Since Trump continues to claim Covid case numbers are only going up because America is conducting more and more tests, Guthrie asked Giroir to elaborate on his previous warning of a “real increase in the numbers” for cases and hospitalizations.
His answer:
Let me make two points. Compared to March and April, March and April looked like the cases were much lower than we have now. That is probably false because the testing wasn’t sufficient to detect all the cases. But between July, August, September, October now, we do believe — and the data show — that the cases are going up. It’s not just a function of testing. Yes, we’re getting more cases identified, but the cases are actually going up. And we know that, too, because hospitalizations are going up…So we do assess that the cases are actually going up. They are real. Because hospitalizations and deaths are starting to go up. Again, we can reverse that.
Trump has often blamed increased covid cases on increased testing, all while simultaneously insisting the pandemic will soon go away.
Watch above, via NBC.
