Posted on 03/12/2020 4:34:01 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
America has failed to meet the capacity for coronavirus testing that it needs, a top public health official publicly acknowledged Thursday.
"The system is not really geared to what we need right now," Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in a House hearing about coronavirus test kits in the United States, which were initially dogged by technical glitches. "That is a failing. Let's admit it."
Fauci was responding to a question from Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Florida, who asked about a claim by trade organization National Nurses United alleging that "countless" health care workers exposed to the coronavirus have been refused a test for it.
When the virus first started appearing in America, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had narrow criteria for who could be tested for it, further limiting the number of tests performed on top of the technical problems. Those guidelines have since been expanded. Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the CDC, who was also testifying in the hearing, directed Wasserman Schultz's question to Fauci.
"The idea of anybody getting it easily the way people in other countries are doing it, we're not set up for that," Fauci told Wasserman Schultz. "Do I think we should be? Yes. But we're not."
The blunt acknowledgment came as the CDC reported it had tested just over 11,000 specimens for the virus so far, far fewer than other nations, especially given that multiple specimens are needed for each patient. Meanwhile, South Korea is testing nearly 20,000 patients per day, according to the BBC.
In response to Fauci, Wasserman Schultz said: "That's really disturbing, and I appreciate the information."
The question came a week after a nurse exposed to the virus in northern California said in a statement through National Nurses United
(Excerpt) Read more at nbcnews.com ...
Mike Pence is the “coronavirus czar”.
Well, when a coronavirus test costs $3,000 people are not going to be lining up to take one but will just pray that it’s just a cold or the flu.
https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-treatment-costs-americans-health-care-broke-2020-2
“Pence heads the Trump Administration’s coronavirus task force. He said the group reached out to governors from 47 states on Monday, and was “able to confirm with them that testing is now available in all state labs in every state in the country.”
“Over a million tests have been distributed,” Pence said, and “before the end of this week, another 4 million tests will be distributed.”
Furthermore, major medical testing companies such as LabCorp and Quest have also “brought a test forward and are taking that to market effective today,” Pence said. He added that, “with the deployment of the commercial labs we literally are going to see a dramatic increase in the availability of testing.”
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The tests and labs will be there and what with every state, city and town canceling just about every event/school class/meeting other than dog-walking combined with warming temperatures I think we will see this thing ease off fairly soon, despite Nancy P’s herd of progs best efforts to kill us all so they can “get Trump.”
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One more thing, what with the large increase in testing here in the US the number of new cases is going to sharply increase in the next 7-10 days.
Expect predictions of the apocalypse combined with demands for sackcloth and ashes from PDJT by the progs.
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The US CDC needed the DNA genome sequence of the virus, to be able to make the test kits. They proceeded in earnest once China cooperated and gave the USA the needed material. Correct me if I am wrong.
I am in the demographic that the sky is not falling.
Has everyone seen the line graph depicting the various historical epidemic strains overlaid upon each other? They all have predictable stages of varying behaviors. None identical, but many similar. First, a slow spread over time, a rapid rise in cases, a full blown outbreak, a peak, a rapid decline, a wind down, and recovery. All of them have a somewhat similar profile, as described.
The world’s population does not stay in an epidemic phase nonstop.
“Mike Pence is the “coronavirus czar”.”
Not really. He only facilitates and coordinates information, between the principles - the center of who knows what, and from the principles to DJT and the public. The laws and rules of operation of the CDC and the FDA have not been changed giving pence any direct and immediate role over them. There is no executive order about the task force to the related agencies. I think at best Trump wants everyone involved to do their communications to Pence, instead of directly to Trump.
Epidemic strains
should read
epidemic outbreaks.
No nation is ever prepared to test every citizen. That’s silly
You are so ignorant. The ability to test is governed by first knowing the virus. Then a test has to be developed that’s accurate. The first ones were inadequate. Then you need capacity. Public health depts lack capacity. That’s why Trump brought in the private sector. Capacity is now there
We stocked up in late January. Why? Because real threat or not I knew the writing was on the wall that the threat was going to scare people. I even had conversations on here about how people react in Hurricanes. They panic. People who know human nature should know how they will react when they are scared-irrationally-and this they should prepare for that eventually.
So-whether it’s a real threat or not-if the naysayers in here didnt at least see the threat of the herd being spooked and take precautions and prepare for that eventuality-I don’t feel the least bit sorry for them.
South Korea has done 260,000 tests in less than a month...USA = 7,695....not a great performance.
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/03/12/asia/coronavirus-south-korea-testing-intl-hnk/index.html
South Korea, is testing 20,000 per week.
We tested, fewer than 1,000 last week.
We are SO behind on things.
the obvious question is why has the rest of the world managed to deploy tests, even in third world countries?
Once this is over, fire these incompetent idiots. And maybe replace and fire them now. How much money goes to them and we find that 3rd world countries are better prepared and more responsive than ours. Pathetic. Probably for some, criminal.
Yes, every one saying this, often to protect Trump from criticism has instead set him up for failure. Trump needs to step up as this was an unforced error, some due to Trump haters in jobs they should have long ago been fired from,
Yes, if he doesn’t fix it quickly, it will be his problem, his Katrina.
And you don’t understand
They are swabbing thousands their tests are not as accurate as ours. Loys of false negatives. That shouldn’t make you feel secure
Just stating what I read.
Maybe set up to fail? That would substantiate the talk of him being replaced. But if that were so, Trump would take more of a back seat now, then come in on white horse.
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