US Reopen – If the United States wants the economy to open back up — and stay that way — coronavirus testing must go up to at least 500,000 per day, Harvard researchers said.
Testing nationwide is currently at 150,000 per day, they said, adding that “If we can’t be doing at least 500,000 tests a day by May 1, it is hard to see any way we can remain open.”
The US has reported more than 735,000 coronavirus cases and 39,090 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Though some officials have warned against it, several states are looking to reopen as soon as possible.
The research on the testing shortfall was done by Dr. Ashish Jha, faculty director of the Harvard Global Health Institute, Dr. Thomas Tsai, researcher at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Benjamin Jacobson, research assistant at the Harvard Global Health Institute.
And the number of positive tests much also be much lower, the researchers said. In the US, 20% of those tested for coronavirus get positive results. The World Health Organization has said that to reopen, that number should be between 3% to 12%.
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In a three-part guideline released last week, the White House said states can enter the first phase toward reopening once they see a continued decrease over two weeks. Experts have long said one of the major determining factors behind governors’ decisions to reopen their economies should be testing.
Testing is crucial to determine who’s infected and a risk to others.
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