Bill Gates says that US testing data is 'bogus' because it still takes 3 to 4 days to get results

• Bill Gates said at a CNN town hall on Thursday that US testing data is "bogus" because of testing inequality and slow turnaround.
• "The United States does not prioritize who gets tested," he said. "And the United States does not make sure you get results in 24 hours."
• The US is currently testing about 200,000 people for coronavirus per day. But despite conducting more tests, it can take several days before Americans are told whether they have tested positive or negative.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates said on Thursday that the US' coronavirus testing data was "bogus" because of testing inequality and slow turnaround.

The 67-year-old billionaire philanthropist discussed the US' coronavirus response during CNN's global town hall with hosts Anderson Cooper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

Currently, the US is testing about 200,000 people per day. Experts from Harvard University have suggested that in order to fully "remobilize the economy," the US needs to be testing 20 million people per day by mid-summer.

Gates said that although the US is conducting a greater number of tests per day, current testing doesn't accurately reflect the population, particularly those in low-income areas.

"The United States does not prioritize who gets tested," he said. "And the United States does not make sure you get results in 24 hours."

Despite enhanced testing capacity, testing in the US remains a long and complicated task, and it can take several days before people are told whether they have tested positive or negative.

"If you get your test results within 24 hours so you can act on it, then let's count it," he said, explaining that people are most infectious within the first 3-4 days, and may continue to interact with others and spread the virus until they have definitive results.

"What's the point of the test?" he said. "That's your period of greatest infectiousness."

Gates added that residents of low-income neighborhoods have lesser access to testing facilities and are not prioritized, despite indications that the virus is taking a disproportionate toll on already-marginalized communities.

"Our system fails to have the prioritization that would give us an accurate picture of what's going on," he said.

Gates has been warning about the risk of a pandemic for years, saying a global health crisis could wipe out 30 million people in less than a year. He told the Financial Times earlier this month that COVID-19 was the "biggest event that people will experience in their entire lives" and that a viral outbreak similar to this one could happen "every 20 years or so."

His foundation, which has committed billions of dollars to the research of other infectious diseases including HIV/AIDS, has already pledged over $250 million in response to COVID-19. According to the foundation, the funds are being used to help poor communities prepare for the virus and are helping accelerate the detection and containment of the virus.

Earlier this week, Gates said in an interview with the Financial Times that his charity was giving "total attention" to the coronavirus pandemic.

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