Posted on 03/13/2020 12:50:05 PM PDT by NoLibZone
Testing for the novel coronavirus continues to face severe limitations... The shortfall compounds a month of sluggish progress in deploying diagnostic tests developed by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and, if not quickly remedied, will continue to substantially undercount infected patients and could hinder efforts to contain the outbreak. The chemicals needed, known as reagents, are used to extract genetic material from a nasal swab sample, among the first steps in the testing process. Demand for reagents has left a key supplier struggling to keep pace with orders from countries around the world.
The new information provides a clearer picture of why testing shortages continue, even as state and federal officials last week insisted there were sufficient kits. Newsom said that without the needed supplies, the “test kits are like printers, but without ink.”
Newsom said the reagent shortage had contributed to a state backlog in testing and that the administration had “been very aggressive with the CDC” in demanding more reagents.
A spokesman for Qiagen, a top supplier of the reagents, said the pandemic was “challenging our capacity to supply certain products” and that it would increase production in facilities in Germany, Spain and Maryland. The company will also hire additional employees and adjust staffing to cover three shifts, working seven days per week.
“The testing issue continues to haunt us in many ways,” L.A. County Public Health Department Director Barbara Ferrer said in a press briefing Wednesday. “We are very dependent on getting reagents from the CDC. I know both the president and the vice president were assuring us and the general public that those reagents are coming and coming quickly.”
“If we don’t get reagents soon, that will become a problem for us,” she added.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
But Obama would have just clicked his heels, made a wish, and the reagents would have appeared. /s
The tests are not needed for treating each patient. Most of you don’t want to know some of the purposes of the tests.
“The company will also hire additional employees and adjust staffing to cover three shifts, working seven days per week.”
Many people should be fired. Private and Govt.
I’m in the food distribution world and we have been “all hands on deck” for the last 2 full week’s and bleeding into the 3rd. Just like when a storm is coming except the panic is lasting weeks vs days.
What do people expect? You can’t test everybody cause your paranoid you may be infected. Plus the laboratories are busy with other health issues. If you’re not sick,relax. The left is using this test issue as another club to beat Trump over the head. Aholes.
Modifying the headline by saying good article. Post the article or link and don’t editorialize the headline. Besides it is not a good article just you think it is. Lack of reagents. Wow. You do know that one of the reagents is a protein specific to coronavirus that will make it change the color of the indicator. So yeah they probably don’t have enough reagents.
Democrat talking points -
That’s all Pelosi said her abortion laden bill would do “this is all about TESTS. It will provide TESTS for all, even those who are uninsured will get TESTS”
Manufactured.
Crisis.
No, this not why CDC Short on test kits. The reagents (primers and probes) are not part of the test kit. These are supplies a lab performing rRT-PCR are expected to have on hand. Along with very pure water.
As of this posting President Trump announced his team of public private medical producers will be working together to deal with all the shortfall problems which were never previously dealt with are now going to be addressed.
Is posting this adding to the panic?
Speaking of testing, how long to wait to test PDJT until sufficient viral load would show up since he is asymptomatic?
Been watching this. It almost seems intentional, since the Medical Industrial Complex knew what was going to be required!
Well enlighten those who do want to know.
It not good for you guys that blame Trump.
100% adds to the Ant Trumps ability to blame Trump for a lack of Testing Kits being sent out.
“The chemicals needed, known as reagents, are used to extract genetic material from a nasal swab sample”
Are you stating that reagent are NOT need to extract the genetic material from the swab?
You need to patent your method!
I needed to do something time sensitive.
One reason for the tests is to impose restrictions in a timely manner if necessary. There are many more reasons having to do with policies. The tests are not always necessary for diagnoses and treatment.
Test kits coming from China?
Where did I say that? I said these are supplies a lab should have on hand, not expect the Federal Government to provide.
The family Coronaviridae is organized in 2 sub-families, 5 genera, 23 sub-genera and about 40 species.
The problem might be not in detecting Wuhan, but in detecting any of the other 39.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.