Trump administration's approach to testing is chaotic and unhelpful, states say

Source: Washington Post

Trump administration’s approach to testing is chaotic and unhelpful, states say

By Rachel Weiner
7/9/2020, 11:55:00 a.m.

The Trump administration’s erratic approach to testing for the novel coronavirus has left state leaders and commercial laboratories confused, frustrated and unprepared for the fall, Democrats on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions found in a report released Thursday.

Labs and state officials said they were unsure who in the federal government to contact about supply issues, including whether the Federal Emergency Management Agency or Department of Health and Human Services was in charge.

“It is increasingly unlikely the nation will be prepared with sufficient testing capacity to meet the health and economic needs of the country by late summer or even into the fall,” write the authors, led by Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.). “Disturbingly, several interviewees, including large clinical labs, reported that despite the Administration’s assurances, they did not see how the United States would reach even a million tests per day by the fall.”

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The Senate Democrats’ report is based on interviews during the past two months with state health officials, clinical laboratories, test and equipment manufacturers, and industry associations. It details supply chain issues that continue, as states across the South confront coronavirus outbreaks with limited testing. People in many states have waited hours in line to be tested, and then wait a week or more for results.

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Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/trump-administrations-approach-to-testing-is-chaotic-and-unhelpful-states-say/2020/07/09/66a4b08a-c1e8-11ea-b4f6-cb39cd8940fb_story.html