WASHINGTON, March 23 (Xinhua) -- White House coronavirus task force member and the leading infectious diseases expert in the United States, Anthony Fauci, told Science magazine Sunday that he has never called and would never call COVID-19 a "China virus."

During a recent press conference, U.S. President Donald Trump suggested China should have revealed the discovery of the novel coronavirus much earlier.

"I told the appropriate people it doesn't comport, because two or three months earlier would have been September," said Fauci, who is also the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

When asked whether the United States should implement "creative ideas" adopted by other countries in response to the coronavirus, such as the Chinese practice of using thermometers at supermarkets before letting people in, Fauci said those measures are worth considering.

"I think the logistics of that have to be worked out ... I will bring it up at the next task force meeting and see whether there's some sort of a logistical, bureaucratic reason why it can't be done," Fauci. "The rationale for doing it is at least worth serious consideration."

Fauci said he has been suggesting that the White House hold virtual press briefings, but the proposal has so far not been adopted.

"When you're dealing with the White House, sometimes you have to say things one, two, three, four times, and then it happens. So, I'm going to keep pushing," he said.