Dr. Anthony Fauci admitted that the coronavirus screening efforts got off to a “slow start” amid “missteps” by the CDC during an appearance on CNN Thursday night.

The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, who is widely considered to be the world’s most esteemed virologist, also noted that problems have been addressed.

“It’s unfortunate it got off to a slow start,” Fauci explained to CNN’s Sanjay Gupta, adding “there were some missteps with regard to the CDC’s test. They had a problem, they fixed the problem,” before adding that partnering with the private sector will lead to a “dramatic escalation” in tests being made available.

“What you’re going to see in the reasonable future is a dramatic escalation in the number of tests that are going to be available,” Fauci said. By the following week, according to information he’s received from the CDC and the FDA “they could get up to a million tests out there – that’s the plan, that’s what we’re hearing.”

Fauci’s role in the Trump administration’s response to the potential pandemic has not been without controversy. Fauci gets credit for stemming the Ebola virus while serving during the Obama administration, but reports have suggested that the White House has limited Fauci’s public comments in an effort to control a politically beneficial narrative.

Fauci has denied that he was in any way “muzzled” by the White House.

Watch above via CNN.

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