India holds the second position after US with regard to COVID tests

Great Covid-19 tests records made by first US and then India

Friday, 17th July 2020

US has been one of the most badly hit countries of the world with regard to the COVID-19 pandemic but with regard to COVID-19 tests US has done a pretty good job. USA has created a record with as many as 42 million tests so far and has taken the lead among all other countries of the world in this matter.  But India too is doing a fairly good job. It is in the second position now with nearly 12 million COVID-19 tests conducted so far.

Over 3.5 million people in the US are coronavirus positive and the number of deaths that have taken place in the US stand at nearly 138,000. Globally, over 13.6 million cases of Coronavirus have been detected and the death toll is more than 586,000.

 “With regard to (the coronavirus) testing, we've done more than 42 million tests. The second-highest number is 12 million from India. We're leading the world in testing,” Kayleigh McEnany, Press Secretary of White House told at a Press Conference this Thursday.

 “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,” McEnany further said.

This sort of record testing, according to McEnany, is a quite remarkable contrast to such disease-related testing in the times of the past administration.

She, in this context informed that as per the CBS’s report, in the year 2009 under the administrative governance of Obama-Biden the States were advised to bring H1N1 flu testing and individual case counting to a halt by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Contrary to that, this President 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-Biden administration did, and that was a shameful decision,” said McEnany.

“On the therapeutics front, I just want to note: A very encouraging Regeneron contract. A $450 million contract for a monoclonal antibody cocktail. This is a bioengineered version of convalescent plasma, one of the several therapeutics available to treat Covid-19. It can be used for prophylaxis and treatment. They say they could have up to 70 to 300 thousand doses - by the end of the summer or early fall,” McEnany further said.

Source: Times of India