"Millions and millions and millions of tests" will need to be made available to help determine how much the novel coronavirus has spread in the United States and how many cases remain undetected, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Thursday.
"I've been an advocate of much more proactive testing, not only testing when physicians ask for a test, but testing to determine where we are and what the level is under the radar," Fauci said during a CNN town hall. "And for that reason, we're going to need millions and millions and millions of tests. That's what I feel and that's what many of my colleagues feel."
Fauci added that by the end of this week or the beginning of next, the CDC should get out about 75,000 additional tests, but partnering with the private sector will allow for millions more.
Without more widespread testing, it's not known how many people in the United States have the virus, and until that happens, the actual fatality rate will change, Fauci said.
He added that most people who are showing flu symptoms or have the flu or a cough should "go home and hunker down and recover at home" as long as their symptoms are mild, as the "overwhelming likelihood" is that they will not have coronavirus, said Fauci.
Meanwhile, Fauci told NBC's "Today" on Friday that the United States is not yet to the point of needing "social distancing" such as ordering school closure and keeping people out of crowds.
"In Seattle, I think that the governor and the health authorities made the right choice, in beginning a mitigation strategy, which is social distancing," said Fauci. "If we get community-based cases, throughout various parts of the country, you use that information to make the decision...We're not there yet as a nation."
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