Roche CEO Says We Need to Test More People, Stop Spreading Germs

(Bloomberg) -- Roche Holding AG Chief Executive Officer Severin Schwan said countries need to test more people for coronavirus and people should take more responsibility for stopping its spread.

Anyone showing signs and symptoms of Covid-19 ought to be tested, regardless of their age, he said in an interview on Bloomberg TV. But there simply aren’t enough resources right now to test everybody, he added. Meanwhile, the best thing most people can do is stop interacting with each other in person.

“It’s about social distancing. It’s not joining any gatherings. It’s about washing our hands,” Schwan said. “That’s the most effective way to stop the spread of the virus.”

Roche made a big splash Friday by winning emergency use authorization from the U.S. for its high-speed coronavirus test. That will help health officials allocate resources and decide on measures such as quarantines. Schwan praised Roche’s “very good cooperation” with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for getting these tests to get into labs in record time.

Schwan’s recommendation for more testing echoes a call from the World Health Organization, after some European countries like the U.K. have scaled back such activity as the outbreak spreads.

--With assistance from Guy Johnson and Alix Steel.

To contact the reporter on this story: Tim Loh in Munich at tloh16@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Eric Pfanner at epfanner1@bloomberg.net

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