Washington DC: After the US, which has carried out a record 42 million COVID-19 tests, India has conducted the second highest number of 12 million tests, the White House has said.
“We have done more than any country in the world on testing; there’s no doubt about that — 42 million tests. The country with the next highest number is India at 12 million,” White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters at a news conference on Thursday.
At the same time, McEnany faulted the previous Barack Obama administration for abruptly halting tests for the H1N1 flu as well as counting individual cases in 2009.
“Contrary to that, President Donald Trump led the world in testing; led the world in ventilators — redistributing ventilators for therapeutics; 13 vaccine candidates — one going into phase three clinical trial. This response has been extraordinary and historic. We didn’t pause testing; the Obama administration did, and that was a shameful decision,” she said.
More than 3.5 million people have tested positive with the coronavirus and 138,000 died in the US. Globally, more than 13.6 million have tested positive and over 586,000 have died.
The Press Secretary also claimed that there has been encouraging news on vaccines, according to a report in the Indian Express.
“Moderna’s vaccine candidate is showing promising signs. They produced a positive, neutral immune response among the 45 participants in the study. This is comparable to what we see in recovered patients. The bottom line is that, so far, we are seeing exactly what you would hope to see in a vaccine. The Moderna vaccine in particular is expected to reach phase three by late July, with 30,000 participants,” she said.
