President Trump said health officials are working on a “self-swab” coronavirus test, which he suggested would be more comfortable and more “popular” than the current test, as the administration scrambles to provide more tests. Hospitals and doctors are still reporting they don’t have enough tests for people suspected of carrying the virus.
“That’s not very, uh, nice to do. I can tell you, because I did it,” said Mr. Trump, who tested negative for coronavirus last week.
Mr. Trump, giving a press conference with the Coronavirus Task Force, told reporters Wednesday the White House will hold another press conference later Wednesday or early Thursday to address developments at the Food and Drug Administration. On Tuesday the White House and Congress moved quickly to craft the parameters of a massive stimulus bill to prop up the economy in response to the crisis, with Senate Republicans taking the lead on a package that could cost upwards of $1 trillion.
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide now tops 200,000, according to Johns Hopkins University.
The president has asked all Americans to limit contact with others for 15 days, and he’s admitted that unprecedented measures being taken across the country could sink the U.S. into a recession.
