‘How Far Behind The Virus’ Is U.S.?: Lag Time In Results Can Hurt Efforts To Control Spread Of COVID-19

The New York Times: How U.S. Coronavirus Diagnoses Are Lagging Behind The Outbreak
When there were just over a dozen official recorded cases of the new coronavirus in America, at least 50 people who later tested positive were already feeling ill. By the time 50 cases were officially confirmed, at least 1,200 people had already started showing symptoms of Covid-19, the disease caused by the virus. This new picture of the U.S. coronavirus outbreak is based on data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that estimates the date on which people who were later tested and confirmed positive for Covid-19 said they first started to experience symptoms. (Popovich, 4/1)

The Washington Post: The Scramble For The Rapid Coronavirus Tests Everybody Wants
As Abbott Laboratories began shipping its new rapid-response tests across the country Wednesday, a new flash point emerged in the nation’s handling of the pandemic: where to deploy the covid-19 diagnostics that could be one of the most effective tools in combating the outbreak. Some White House officials want to ship many of the tests, which were approved Friday and can deliver results in five to 13 minutes, to areas where there are fewer cases, such as rural states and parts of the South. (Mufson, Eilperin and Dawsey, 4/1)

CNN: The 'Game Changer' That Wasn't: Company Falsely Claimed FDA Authorization For Coronavirus Blood Test
The company claimed it would distribute the first coronavirus antibody test authorized by the US Food and Drug Administration. It promised to detect current and past infections in as little as two minutes -- with just a tiny amount of blood."This is a game changer," said the company, Bodysphere, in a statement on Tuesday. It promised to deliver millions of test kits within weeks... But on Wednesday, D'Anne Mica, a Bodysphere spokesperson, said "there was a misunderstanding" and acknowledged that the FDA never issued the emergency authorization.

The Hill: Fauci: Improved Testing And Tracing Can Help Reopen Country 
Dr. Anthony Fauci said Wednesday that improved coronavirus testing and tracing of infected people's contacts will help the country eventually be able to ease up on measures such as stay-at-home orders. Fauci, a top official at the National Institutes of Health, said during a White House briefing that he would like to see enough capacity to test a wide range of people and the ability to determine who those that test positive have been in contact with. (Sullivan, 4/1)

The Wall Street Journal: Coronavirus Tests Aren’t Hard To Find Everywhere
While many Americans with coronavirus symptoms struggle to get tested due to restrictive criteria and limited availability, June Bivins found it surprisingly simple. “Easier than getting a regular doctor’s appointment,” Ms. Bivins said of her experience getting tested last week in Roseville, Calif. The 60-year-old software sales rep visited a drive-through testing site that was part of a program run by the nearby University of California, Davis, School of Medicine. (Paul and Lazo, 4/1)

CIDRAP: Experts Question Practicality Of Testing In COVID-19 Response
As the country now looks to Apr 30 as a tentative expiration date on nationwide physical distancing measures, public health experts have started publishing roadmaps and guidelines meant to direct reopening society in the face of the novel coronavirus pandemic. These projections, though, hinge on widespread testing, which can help determine who has had the virus, who should remain quarantined, and who is at risk for infection. In theory, these roadmaps, which are often presented in stages, would help open up society safely. (Soucheray, 4/1)

The Wall Street Journal: Some Nations Look To Mass Testing For Faster Way Out Of Coronavirus Crisis
Some Western governments are turning to mass testing for the new coronavirus, hoping that quickly isolating more new carriers could halt its spread and allow the gradual reopening of stores, offices and factories. With the economic cost of lockdowns rising and only faint signs of a slowdown in infections, officials and scientists in Europe, following the example of South Korea, Singapore and Taiwan, are advocating the new approach. (Pancevski, 4/1)

The Wall Street Journal: Japan, Bucking Consensus, Says Limited Coronavirus Testing Is Enough
At a time when the World Health Organization and many countries are pushing to “test, test, test” to help stop the coronavirus pandemic, Japan is swimming against the tide. The country is limiting tests for the new coronavirus to the most vulnerable and at-risk people, reasoning that this provides a good-enough picture of how the disease is progressing. Japan’s testing frequency stands at less than 6% of widely praised aggressive screeners such as Singapore and South Korea—yet it has yet to experience the explosive rise in cases that is supposed to result from limited testing. (Dvorak and Inada, 4/2)

And more news on how the virus is spread —

Stat: New Digital Tools Could Speed Up Covid-19 Contact Tracing 
Every strategy for releasing Covid-19’s vise-grip on daily life starts with identifying cases and tracing their contacts — the laborious task of public health workers tracking down people who have crossed paths with a newly diagnosed patient, so they can be quarantined well before they show symptoms. That typically takes three days per new case, an insurmountable hurdle in the U.S., with its low numbers of public health workers and tens of thousands of new cases every day. Existing digital tools, however, using cellphone location data and an app for self-reporting positive test results, could make the impossible possible, the authors of a new analysis argue. (Begley, 4/2)

ABC News: Researchers Investigate Whether Wearable Apps Could Unveil Hidden Coronavirus Cases 
As health officials were confronted this week with the possibility that as many as one in four people who have the novel coronavirus may not show symptoms, researchers are investigating whether subtle hints from wearable wellness devices could help identify asymptomatic cases -- a critical advantage in the race to trace the virus's spread. The gadgets -- most commonly bracelets and rings -- track users’ physiological metrics, from sleep cycles to heart rate, and report the data back to a corresponding smart phone app. While at present those metrics remain untested by independent researchers, Dr. John Brownstein told ABC News the data gathered by the devices could someday help unveil otherwise hidden cases. (Bruggeman, 4/2)

ProPublica: What We Need To Understand About Asymptomatic Carriers If We’re Going To Beat Coronavirus
In the early days of the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S., around the last week of February, I joked to a colleague that maybe now, finally, people would learn how to wash their hands properly. My remark revealed a naive assumption I had at the time, which was that all we needed to do to keep the novel coronavirus contained was follow a few simple guidelines: stay home when symptomatic and maintain good personal hygiene. The problem, I thought, was that nobody was following the rules. (Chen, 4/2)

ABC News: What We Know And Don't About Asymptomatic Transmission And Coronavirus 
With new stories emerging about the rapid spread of COVID-19, public health experts are now warning the public to stay inside even if they feel healthy. The reason? You may be an asymptomatic carrier. "Asymptomatic transmission means you can be infected with the virus, have no symptoms and still be contagious," Dr. William Schaffner, professor of preventive medicine and infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, told ABC News. (Baldwin and Salzman, 4/1)

ABC News: If Concerned About 'False Negative' Coronavirus Test, Self-Quarantine Anyway: Experts 
When New Orleans freelance writer Sarah Netter first started coughing and showing a fever, her thoughts gravitated to the coronavirus outbreak that was starting to gain a foothold in the United States. When her breathing labored and her chest hurt, she became more convinced that these were the symptoms virus patients were consistently describing. But then she was tested. The result: negative. Her doctor, she said, was “stunned.” Netter, a former ABC News producer, and her doctor remain unconvinced. (Dukakis, Tatum and Mosk, 4/1)