--- title: "Experts: US Will Need 20 Million Tests per Day to Reopen Safely" description: "A report claims the number of  COVID-19 tests will have to\"increase to 20 million tests per day by mid-summer to fully re-mobilize the economy\" in the US." date: "2020-04-20" modified: "2020-04-20" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/experts-20-million-tests-per-day" categories: - "Developments" - "Health & Medicine" tags: - "coronavirus" - "covid19" --- # Experts: US Will Need 20 Million Tests per Day to Reopen Safely ![A report claims the number of  COVID-19 tests will have to"increase to 20 million tests per day by mid-summer to fully re-mobilize the economy" in the US.]() *\Image: US Air Force/Ilka Cole\* A cross-disciplinary team of experts argue in a [new report]() that the United States will need "20 million tests per day by mid-summer to fully re-mobilize the economy" and "help ensure a safe social opening" in the midst of the pandemic. "What we need to do is much bigger than most people realize," reads the report's executive summary. "We need to massively scale-up testing, contact tracing, isolation, and quarantine — together with providing the resources to make these possible for all individuals." "Broad and rapid access to testing is vital for disease monitoring, rapid public health response, and disease control," reads the report, assembled by Harvard University’s Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics. 20 million tests a day is an extremely tall task. According to the COVID Tracking Project, only an average of [146,000 people per day]() have been tested in the US in April. But implementing such a plan would have extraordinary benefits. The goal is to "prevent cycles of opening up and shutting down," by better understanding who is affected, what parts of the economy can be opened up again, and where the virus needs to be contained. The report also suggests setting up a "Pandemic Testing Board" that could coordinate incentives for the private sector to come up with solutions. Setting up such a board would come with a sizeable price tag — though it would be dwarfed by the long term costs of keeping the economy shut down completely. In addition to widespread testing and social isolation, a key part of the suggested roadmap is contact tracing — keeping track of those who are at risk of being infected through technological means. Apple and Google [launched]() their own initiative earlier this month, proposing an app that can tell you if you’ve recently been exposed to somebody who has tested positive for COVID-19. ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()