'It's Just Everywhere Already': How Delays in Testing Set Back the U.S. Coronavirus Response

[brooklynite]

Source: New York Times

Dr. Helen Y. Chu, an infectious disease expert in Seattle, knew that the United States did not have much time.

In late January, the first confirmed American case of the coronavirus had landed in her area. Critical questions needed answers: Had the man infected anyone else? Was the deadly virus already lurking in other communities and spreading?

As luck would have it, Dr. Chu had a way to monitor the region. For months, as part of a research project into the flu, she and a team of researchers had been collecting nasal swabs from residents experiencing symptoms throughout the Puget Sound region.

To repurpose the tests for monitoring the coronavirus, they would need the support of state and federal officials. But nearly everywhere Dr. Chu turned, officials repeatedly rejected the idea, interviews and emails show, even as weeks crawled by and outbreaks emerged in countries outside of China, where the infection began.

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/10/us/coronavirus-testing-delays.html

[dalton99a]

1. When our government is controlled by a criminal regime

[Maxheader]

9. The wingers always hold the purses strings tight..

They figure people die all the time..
What's the big deal?..Same attitude for disaster relief.
Hurricanes?..Relief from weather extremes..
Who knows what shit cheetox and its buddies can do
to cause this country grief..

[babylonsister]

2. I figured this would happen and am heartsick for us all. nt

[IronLionZion]

3. Thank God we don't ration health care in America

Our store shelves would be empty, events would be canceled, and people would be afraid to come out of their homes if we had socialism. The free market has provided very efficient solutions as always. Democrats would have slowed everything down with scientific/medical bureacracy, taxes, and regulations.

[Leghorn21]

4. omg, we can't deal with this shit one more minute

goddamn, we just can't

they won't get away with this wanton destruction of human life, nope

NOPE

[Sugar Smack]

7. This is absolutely unforgivable. It will be, to thinking Republicans as well.

There are many conservative Preppers who're turning to their better instincts and protecting their own families now. They're our silver lining. They believe what they're seeing *in the world* instead of going to trump rallies CRAWLING with germs and viruses. They'll be likely to vote against trump (if they vote at all), stick together during the chaos, and not bother anyone else (common sense).

Besides, those 3-cheese beef-casserole pot-pie MREs aren't going to eat themselves.

[Fiendish Thingy]

5. This story will be in history books

And The Trump administration’s abject failure to respond will be front and center.

When historians write about Trump, this event will be in the first paragraph.

[Dem2theMax]

6. At the rate we're going,

no one will be left to read them.

[CaptYossarian]

8. I've said in the past that the intent of this administration in the long run

is to make a nation of slaves for the 1%.

Trump's inactions toward not informing the citizens (and trying to give a false sense of security) puts the elderly and the disabled at the most risk. What if he's thinning the herd by committing a passive form of genocide? It's survival of the fittest.

This will only allow our healthiest "worker bees" to make the rich even richer.

There are no death trains--there will be no trials for camp guards--Barr, and all the future Barrs, will keep it going for the Trump dynasty for as long as possible if we don't defeat him in the most humiliating and resounding way this fall.

[Locrian]

10. it's not just the admin of trump

How about the wallstreet guy that wanted everyone to get is ASAP so things could go back to normal?
That's SOP for wallstreet - they DO. NOT. CARE. about us expect as raw material to be exploited.

[CaptYossarian]

11. We're as disposable as used Kleenex--and just as respected.

Once we're used by them, we're no good anymore.

Considering what bosses do to us, we're just human hymens.

[Politicub]

12. If there are millions of test kits available, what is the hold up?

I don't get it. Every news report about getting a test makes it seem almost impossible unless you're almost dead. There was a man in quarantine at the hospital being interviewed on CNN this morning. He went to the ER with symptoms, had a test for flu, found that he didn't have the flu, and was sent home. His symptoms worsened so he went back to the hospital and then they tested him for the virus.

He looked horrible in the interview. He talked about the tough time he's had in the hospital with his lungs and how quickly the virus overtook his body. He is still on oxygen.

He also talked about being part of some gospel choir -- I forget how many people are in the choir but it was a lot -- but they were exposed to him. Are they being tested? Probably not.

It's bizarre how the country is handling this virus. If the man interviewed on CNN is any indication of the level of care needed for acute infections, then our hospitals are going to be overrun in an instant.

[riversedge]

14. Maybe the kits are available but the Labs do not have the right chemicals for the test. ..

as I understand it.

But the kits themselves are in question (question if available). in other words. multiple failures.

[Juneboarder]

15. Tests in San Diego

My husband's brother works for a medical clinic in San Diego and they've finally received the tests yesterday... to the tune of $200/test. Because that's affordable. :|

[du_grad]

16. If you were putting together a test kit, how much would you charge?

Clinical laboratory scientists (the people who run those $200 tests) make $35-50/hour depending on where in the country they work. West coast techs make more because the cost of living is higher.

Then you have the fact that the reagents are expensive. Tests based on RNA have only been developed in the last 20 years or so. This is relatively new technology. These are not $6.98 bargain basement tests. In order to automate the testing you need expensive robotic equipment. You have to have trained personnel. Not just anybody off the street can run this testing. Not every biomedical company makes the equipment necessary for automation to achieve a throughput of over 1000 tests per day.

For example, tests for HPV (human papilloma virus) that causes cervical cancer are incredibly expensive. The 50 test kit for our lab cost around $15,000!! You have to run your controls out of those tests too, and you don't get reimbursed for the controls, just the tests on patients that you do.

The "kits" supplied for collection probably consist of Viral Transport medium and a couple of flocked swabs (they are rougher on the surface in order to be able to trap test material from your nose). There are reported shortages of VTM as the companies gear up to make this stuff. It is specialized transport medium. This is also figured into the cost per test. The reagent in short supply for actual testing is RNA extraction kits. I'm not sure what those consist of, but Qiagen says they are backordered as of two days ago. Roche also makes the extraction kits but the methodology is different so techs have to be trained in a different methodology.

Here is an article from two days ago explaining some of the reagent issues.
https://www.statnews.com/2020/03/10/shortage-crucial-chemicals-us-coronavirus-testing/

So, what would you charge for a complex test like this? The labs can charge $200 but they probably won't get paid the full $200. I have received a notice that Medicare will cover the cost of testing, should I need it, but it can't be billed until after April 1st.

I am a retired medical technologist with 35+ years of experience in microbiology. These are the techs who are running these tests. Thank your laboratory people when you see them. They are quietly absorbing massive workloads and are always working short. I am very thankful that I retired in 2016.

[Juneboarder]

17. Yes, a big thank you is in order for all involved in these tests.

The fact that our government is not subsidizing the costs and/or making these free and readily available to the public (like other countries) is atrocious, though. If the costs are so high that your typical low/middle class families cannot afford testing their families, then people will simply not get tested and thus cause the potential for much serious issues in the near future.

[riversedge]

13. Corrrected: 'It's Just Everywhere Already': How #Trump Admin Delays in Testing Set Back the U.S. #Co