CDC: As of today, 75,000 tests available in 50 states

[Dennis Donovan]

Link to tweet

CDC ✔@CDCgov

As of March 9, 78 state and local public health labs across 50 states now have the capacity to test up to 75,000 people for #COVID19. State/local public health staff determine which specimens should be tested. See updated interim testing guidance:

https://bit.ly/331U9jY .

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a virus (more specifically, a coronavirus) identified as the cause of an outbreak of respiratory illness first detected in Wuhan, China.

5:35 PM - Mar 9, 2020

(Is it just me, or does the coronavirus look like a cat toy? )

[Maeve]

1. And that is how much short of a million? Asking for a friend

[Dennis Donovan]

3. What's even more terrifying is Andy Slavitt checked w/ lab companies-looking at 8 weeks until...

Link to tweet

Andy Slavitt ✔@ASlavitt

NEW: Because we can’t get a straight answer from the Trump Administration, I have checked with lab companies.

The best estimate is it will be 8 weeks before we have all the nationwide testing we need.

2:22 PM - Mar 9, 2020

Andy Slavitt - Former Medicare, Medicaid & ACA head for Obama.

8 *weeks*? Not days??

[Squinch]

2. Fucking incompetent morons.

[superpatriotman]

4. Not enough for one small city

Bravo!

[Claritie Pixie]

5. Pathetic and inadequate. Calling Bill Gates....

[MerryBlooms]

8. Rec.

[2naSalit]

6. Like a teeny tiny round band aid

on a gaping, hemorrhaging wound.

[pat_k]

7. Don't know how many public health "labs" there are, but...

In the US there are:

About 3000 public health agencies (roughly the number of counties in the US)

About 6000 hospitals

About 8000 urgent care clinics

So, not even counting Drs offices, there are 14,000 entities collecting samples.

78 labs have tests.
I'm sure burden is far from evenly distributed, but for general estimate of capacity, each of the 78 would have to serve an average of 180 entities.

75,000 tests.
That's about 5 tests per entity.

[MerryBlooms]

10. Can state Governors directly order test kits from WHO?

I don't know if that's a silly question or not. I've been up since 3 this morning.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

11. So on average 1,500 tests per state?

Of course, California, New York or Florida might get more than Wyoming or Delaware, but still...seems awfully low.

[pat_k]

12. Not counting Dr offices, about 5 tests per entity (6000 hospitals + 8000 urgent care clinics)

I have a feeling there are more than five people in need of testing at each entity.

As far as test processing capacity, sounds like that covers about one day of testing with each of 78 labs processing about 950 tests (don't know actual staffing or capacity at the labs, but University of Washington capacity is about 1,500 per day). This is just a general idea of how "spread thin" things are. I'm sure needs are not distributed evenly and there will be geographical limitations on which lab a given sample could go to).

[pat_k]

13. QUESTION: Is that CDC test kits? Or are they counting all med centers with capability?

University of Washington has a capacity to process 1,500 of their own tests per day.

I'm sure there are other private or public medical facilities/centers similarly equipped.

I'm wondering. Is the CDC counting all of them? Or are they just counting the number of CDC tests?

(My guess is that they are taking "credit" for other entities that are ramping up, but perhaps I'm just being to cynical.)

[spanone]

14. Pence just said there are a million out there in presser

[JDC]

15. What happened to the million we were supposed to have today

Per the surgeon general yesterday? Millions, plural by end of week?

[uponit7771]

16. omfg

[dewsgirl]

17. It does look like a cat toy, well this one the original does. I've seen some

really ominous ones.