副总统迈克·彭斯说，将有足够的能力进行COVID-19测试，这将为美国经济重新开放的第一阶段铺平道路。彭斯的坚持跟随民主党人和医学专家的批评白宫在对病毒进行足够的测试方面做得不够。
但是在周五的新闻发布会上，白宫冠状病毒特别工作组的负责人彭斯说，有足够的测试来允许各州遵循联邦指导方针的第一阶段。
白宫本周发布的这些指导方针概述了放宽限制前所需的一系列条件，包括据报道14天内COVID-19病例减少，以及针对高危卫生工作者的强有力的检测计划。
2020年4月17日，美国副总统迈克·彭斯在华盛顿特区白宫举行的白宫冠状病毒特别工作组每日简报会上发表讲话亚历克斯·王
“我们今天相信，我们有能力在美国做足够多的测试，让各州以他们认为合适的时间和方式进入第一阶段，”彭斯告诉记者。“我们最优秀的科学家和健康专家估计，如果各州州长选择这样做，今天我们有足够的测试量来满足第一阶段重新开放的要求。”
在第一阶段，“弱势个人”仍将不得不在原地避难，并且还将禁止10人以上的群体，除非他们能够在社会上保持距离。酒吧和学校将继续关闭，所有非必要的旅行也将被禁止。
周五，新闻周刊据报告的民主党议员被白宫的电话会议激怒了，因为他们说政府增加测试的计划不明确。
一位消息人士告诉《新闻周刊》在通话中，来自缅因州的独立议员安格斯·金(Angus King)与民主党进行了核心讨论，他将政府实施国家测试制度的努力称为“失职”
据《希尔》报道，周四，华盛顿州长杰伊·因斯利(Jay Inslee)表示，他所在的州是受灾最严重的州之一，距离进行足够的测试还有“1000英里”。
国家过敏和传染病研究所所长安东尼·福奇博士支持彭斯的论断，即检测能力是足够的。
他在周五的新闻发布会上告诉记者，“我们将会有足够的测试来让我们带领这个国家度过第一阶段。”
然而冠状病毒反应协调员黛博拉·比克斯说，第二阶段还不确定，因为很难测试那些有病毒但没有症状的人。
“完全透明地说，真正的未知是无症状和无症状的传播，因此，如果我们发现有许多无症状的个体，我们在这种积极的监测中发现了我们非常关心的、最脆弱的人群，那么我们将不得不增加检测以覆盖所有这些场所。”
随着白宫承认在获取足够的棉签方面存在问题，卫生与公众服务部部长助理布雷特·吉罗瓦表示，到4月底，将会有500多万个棉签被获取，5月份会有更多。
Giroir表示，在重新开放的第一阶段，每月至少需要450万次测试，目前正在进行中，小山报道。
DESPITE UNKNOWNS ABOUT ASYMPTOMATIC SPREAD, PENCE CONFIDENT U.S. CAN REOPEN WITH 'SUFFICIENT AMOUNT OF TESTING'
Vice President Mike Pence said that there will be enough capacity for COVID-19 testing which would pave the way for the first phase of the reopening of the U.S. economy. Pence's insistence follows criticism from Democrats and medical experts that the White House has been left wanting in implementing enough tests for the virus.
But in a press conference on Friday, Pence, who heads the White House coronavirus task force, said that there were enough tests to allow states to follow the first phase of federal guidelines.
Released by the White House this week, those guidelines outline a suite of conditions required before restrictions can be eased, which include a reported decrease of COVID-19 cases over 14 days and a robust testing program for at-risk health workers.
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence speaks during the daily briefing of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, at the White House April 17, 2020 in Washington, D.C.
"We believe today that we have the capacity in the United States to do a sufficient amount of testing for states to move into phase one in a time and manner that they deem to be appropriate," Pence told reporters. "Our best scientists and health experts assess that today we have a sufficient amount of testing to meet the requirements of a phase one reopening if state governors should choose to do that."
In phase one, "vulnerable individuals" would still have to shelter in place and there would also be a ban on groups of more than 10 people unless they can socially distance. Bars and schools would remain closed and all non-essential travel would also be off limits.
On Friday, Newsweek reported that Democratic lawmakers had been left angered by a conference call with the White House for what they said was a lack of clarity over the administration's plans to increase testing.
A source told Newsweek that during the call, Sen. Angus King, an independent from Maine who caucuses with the Democrats, dubbed the administration's bid to implement a national testing regime as a "dereliction of duty."
On Thursday, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) said his state, which is among the hardest hit, was "1,000 miles away" from having enough tests, according to The Hill.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, backed Pence's assertion that testing capacity would be sufficient.
He told reporters at Friday's press conference that "we will have and there will be enough tests to allow us to take this country through phase one."
However coronavirus response coordinator, Deborah Birx said that phase two of was uncertain because it was difficult to test those who had the virus but had no symptoms.
"The real unknown in this, to be completely transparent, is asymptomatic and asymptomatic spread, and so if we find that there's a lot of asymptomatic individuals that we find in this active monitoring in what we are very much concerned about, the most vulnerable, then we will have to have increased testing to cover all of those sites."
With the White House admitting that there have been issues in getting enough swabs, Brett Giroir, an assistant secretary of Health and Human Services, said 5 million more swabs would be secured by the end of April, and more in May.
Giroir said at least 4.5 million tests per month were needed in phase one of the reopening, which it is currently on track for, The Hill reported.
The graphic below, provided by Statista, shows the growth of COVID-19 cases in three U.S. states.
