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May 15, 2020

Trump Says Mass Coronavirus Testing May Be "Overrated"
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President Trump traveled to Allentown, Pennsylvania, Thursday, where he
toured a medical supply warehouse that distributes N95 masks to
healthcare workers. Trump and his chief of staff, Mark Meadows, did not
wear masks during their tour. Trump later addressed masked warehouse
workers who sat in chairs spaced six feet apart. In a campaign-style
speech, Trump promised to create the world's greatest stockpile of
medical equipment, attacked his political rival Joe Biden and questioned
the practice of testing Americans for the coronavirus.

President Donald Trump: "Could be the testing's, frankly, overrated.
Maybe it is overrated. … We have more cases than anybody in the world.
But why? Because we do more testing. When you test, you have a case.
When you test, you find something is wrong with people. If we didn't do
any testing, we would have very few cases."

Trump's remarks came as the deans of four major public health schools
called for a massive increase in coronavirus case tracking, contact
tracing and testing, warning, "If we do not commit these resources, we
will be doomed to a cycle of shut down, re-opening, resurgence of the
virus and then shutting down again."


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