Coronavirus task force immunologist expects 'real acceleration of testing' in the next week

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, says the coronavirus pandemic will get worse before it gets better, but he expects testing will soon begin to accelerate.

Fauci made a series of morning show appearances on Friday including on MSNBC's Morning Joe, during which he forecast a significant increase in coronavirus testing amid criticism over the number of tests that have been made available throughout the country.

"There's been a major push to embrace the private sector, and that's something that you absolutely need to do when you want a much broader capability of testing," Fauci said. "...I would think within a week, we're going to start seeing a real acceleration of testing, and then as we go two, three more weeks, it'll be much, much more."

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Fauci warned, though, that Americans should expect there to be an "acceleration of cases" over the next few weeks, adding, "things are going to get worse before they get better." Similarly, he told Good Morning America that "there's no doubt that we have not peaked yet."

On Friday morning, The Washington Post reports the Trump administration announced it's taking several actions in hopes of accelerating testing, including with a new Food and Drug Administration hotline for laboratories that run into issues running tests including not being able to get necessary materials. Additionally, about $1.3 million is being given to two companies "trying to develop rapid covid-19 tests that could determine whether a person tests positive within an hour," the Post reports. Brendan Morrow