Assistant Secretary of Health Adm. Brett Giroir, who leads the federal government's coronavirus testing response, pushed back on Wednesday against President Trump's continued claims that rising coronavirus cases are a product of increased testing.

The big picture: Every available piece of data shows that the pandemic is getting worse again across the country. Hospitalizations are on the rise — and some hospitals are warning that they could soon be overwhelmed — while 13 states set new highs last week for coronavirus infections recorded in a single day.

What he's saying: "But, between July, August, September, October now, we do believe and the data show that the cases are going up. It's not just a function of testing. Yes, we're getting more cases identified. But the cases are actually going up. And we know that too because hospitalizations are going up."

• "And we do know that deaths are increasing, unfortunately."

Giroir emphasized that "wearing a mask, avoiding crowds, especially indoors," and increasing testing are all crucial strategies against COVID.

• “What I would want to emphasize is that we will have a vaccine. We will have a safe and effective vaccine," Giroir said. "But until that time we have to do what we can do.”