After blocking hospitals and labs from testing for weeks, DT takes credit for their work.

[pat_k]

From WaPo article

In a public health emergency declared by the Department of Health and Human Services, such as in the case of the coronavirus {declared by HHS on January 31}, hospitals and labs are expected to get FDA permission to use their own LDTs {laboratory developed tests}. The FDA can make exceptions under an “emergency use authorization" (EUA), under which LDT developers can go ahead but also submit information about their tests to help FDA understand how well they work.

Why did it take until January 31 for Azar to declare a public health emergency? (By January 13, it was spreading fast in China. The genome has been published, and a reliable test was available. Declaring a pubic health emergency triggers powers to respond -- we should have been pro-active, not wait until cases showed up here.)

Why did it take until Feb 29 (about 7 weeks after a reliable test was available to the world on Jan 13) for the FDA to use it's EUA power to allow hospitals and labs go ahead with their Laboratory Developed Tests (LTDs) while they simultaneously submitted information about the tests to the FDA???

Statement from Surgeon General March 8

"By early next week – tomorrow – we should have over 2 million tests available. By the end of the week, through partnerships with private industry, over 4 million tests available," Adams said. "But the most important number to the American people is one. They want to know if I go in, can I get a test? And the one thing that I’ve heard – I’ve been to Georgia, I’ve been to Georgia, I’ve been to Connecticut in the past week – is that no public health doctor who was asked for a test has not been able to get a test. So people should talk to their healthcare providers."

Now, after having damned up the "testing stream" for weeks, the administration is taking credit for the growing testing capacity that has been coming "online" since March 2 -- a growth in capacity driven largely by centers running their own LDTs, NOT the CDC.

BTW it is not just partnerships "with private industry," as stated by SG, it is partnerships with private entities and publicly funded institutions like the University of Washington.

[Caliman73]

1. Trump likes to mess things up, then "save the day" by doing mundane things.

Then he goes around calling himself a hero. He has done it numerous times and a good chunk of people still fall for it.

[pat_k]

2. Yep. It's mind boggling.

His approval numbers just don't seem to move much, whatever he does. He really could shoot someone on 6th Ave.

[Squinch]

3. Also, we were promised millions of kits before. I'll believe it when I see it.

[pat_k]

4. The big problem is that there will be enormous variation across the country.

There will be states and jurisdictions that that set up effective programs for tracing and testing, but I fear "doing the right thing" will be far from universal.

Here in Washington things are moving forward. We have a pop of about 7.5 million. UW has the capacity to process about 1500 per day. Sample collection capacity may be what limits for awhile. Bill and Melinda Gates foundation is working to launch a home testing program for residents of Seattle, so the most densely populated area will be well served.

As of March 2, South Korea had tested about 2100 per million. I think we'll see Washington meet and surpass that number in the next couple weeks.

I am not so confident about capacity or the political will to make it happen in a lot of our other states.