Searching for smart, safe news you can TRUST?
Support safe, smart, REAL journalism. Sign up for our Axios AM & PM newsletters and get smarter, faster.
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Denver news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver
Des Moines news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines
Minneapolis-St. Paul news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities
Tampa Bay news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa Bay
Charlotte news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte
NIAID director Anthony Fauci told CNN's chief medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta on Wednesday that it is "totally unacceptable" that Gupta was unable to test a patient for the coronavirus before operating on them.
Why it matters: Mass delays in coronavirus test results across the U.S. have thwarted mitigation efforts recommended by public health experts, per the New York Times. In absence of a federal plan, a bipartisan group of governors on Tuesday proposed one of the country's first interstate testing strategies.
Driving the news: Fauci's comments follow President Trump's claim to Axios that it's possible to "test too much" — a view that no experts have advocated.
- The U.S. is conducting more than 800,000 tests per day, on average, and has administered over 58.2 million tests in total.
- But the country's increased testing is still not enough to keep up with demand.
What he's saying: "You are a real-world example of why we've got to do better. I mean, to say, and I know, I've been in situations like that. I can get things done medically so fast it'll spin your head," Fauci said.
- "There you were in the operating room having to put on PPE because you didn't know if your patient — I mean for me that is totally unacceptable, and for me to say anything different is distorting reality."