Why were we not testing a month ago?
The original design of the test kits wasn’t usable without special expertise. It had to be redesigned. Prior to that redesign, there were apparently only 12 labs that could effectively use the kits without giving an excessive number of false results.
Add that to Obama-era regulations which required non-CDC labs to get approval before even testing the kits they designed themselves - so not only the market, but even lab cooperation and innovations were effectively blocked.
It further didn’t help that China wouldn’t allow the CDC to go to China, and would not give viral samples to the US.
We had viral samples from the middle/end of January when the first patient presented in Washington state.
South Korea didn’t get samples any more quickly than we did.
Ditto Japan, Germany, and any other country that has had working tests for nearly a month longer than we did.
WHO had a test...Our CDC opted to not use it. WHY? Slow walked testing...Why?
Regs should have been peeled back a few weeks ago...Should have encouraged local and state health departments to use other screening.
Sorry CDC was dragging feet...but then so have a lot of other agencies...In the end CDC has a potential crisis on hands and a huge pot of money to use...$8.2B I believe.
I am not at all sure the CDC has been working to help Trump...But then many govt bureaucracies have not ...
Some were issuing clarion call over a month ago...They were mocked...