Cotton Swabs Might Be Latest ‘Speed Bump’ In Testing Supply Chain; WHO Emphasizes Need For An Urgent Escalation In Testing
Testing missteps have plagued the United States' response to the outbreak from the start. The FDA is trying to boost capacity by allowing labs to develop their owns, but supply shortages still threaten any progress made. Meanwhile, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed frustration that there hasn't been more testing done worldwide. "You cannot fight a fire blindfolded," he said. "And we cannot stop this pandemic if we don’t know who is infected,"
Politico:
Latest Coronavirus Testing Glitch: Not Enough Cotton Swabs
A potential shortage of cotton swabs and other basic supplies needed for coronavirus testing is emerging as a new threat to the Trump administration’s plans to roll out high-volume testing to 2,000 sites across the country by the end of the week. President Donald Trump and other top administration officials have repeatedly said that millions of Americans could be tested in the coming weeks. But behind the scenes, some officials are warning the nation’s commercial labs that kinks in the supply chain for basic lab materials are the latest obstacle to broader testing. (Lim, 3/16)
The New York Times:
U.S. Lags In Coronavirus Testing After Slow Response To Outbreak
Delays in testing in the United States have set back the nation’s response to the pandemic, even though its first case was discovered around the same time that South Korea’s was. But part of the problem in the United States has also been gaps created by the way the state and federal agencies report the data. An internet community effort, called the COVID Tracking Project, is attempting to provide a fuller picture of testing in the United States. According to the tracker — which collects information directly from state health departments, local news reports and live news conferences — at least 41,000 people have been tested in the United States, much higher than official C.D.C. figures. (Buchanan, Lai and McCann, 3/17)
Stat:
FDA Moves To Boost Coronavirus Testing Capacity By Giving States More Power
In response to a dire shortage of tests for detecting the fast-moving coronavirus, the Food and Drug Administration is giving states new powers to authorize laboratories to develop their own diagnostic. And the FDA also approved new tests that will be distributed by LabCorp (LH) and Hologic (HOLX), two of the largest manufacturers. (Silverman, 3/16)
The Wall Street Journal:
FDA To Allow Private Companies To Market Coronavirus Test Kits Without Prior Approval
In a conference call with reporters Monday night, Dr. Hahn described the measures as a “flexible regulatory approach” intended to strike a balance between speed and the FDA’s regulatory oversight to achieve precision of tests. Dr. Hahn said private companies that make the lab tests will need to file evidence of their accuracy with the FDA within about 15 days of release. (Burton, 3/16)
The Hill:
WHO Says Countries Need To Do More Coronavirus Testing
The director of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday said governments need to do more to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said social distancing measures have been ramping up but said those efforts alone will not be enough. "We have not seen an urgent enough escalation in testing, isolation and contact tracing — which is the backbone of the response," Tedros said during a news conference. (Weixel, 3/16)
The Washington Post:
While CDC Coronavirus Tests Stalled For Six Weeks, A German Lab Made 1.4 Million Tests
When Olfert Landt heard about the novel coronavirus, he got busy. Founder of a small Berlin-based company, the ponytailed 54-year-old first raced to help German researchers come up with a diagnostic test and then spurred his company to produce and ship more than 1.4 million tests by the end of February for the World Health Organization. “My wife and I have been working 16 hours a day, seven days a week, ever since,” Landt said by phone about 1 a.m. Friday, Berlin time. “Our days are full.” (Whoriskey and Satija, 3/16)
Boston Globe:
Coronavirus Testing, Transparency Ramp Up, But Still Lag Recommended Levels
Screening for the coronavirus has continued to ramp up in Massachusetts in recent days, with drive-through testing stations operating in Hyannis and Middleton, as Governor Charlie Baker’s administration began providing more data about the scope of its efforts to track and slow the pandemic. But even as private labs helped increase capacity, the state remained far below the 1,000 tests a day public health experts warned were necessary to assess the full extent of Covid-19′s spread. The state’s increased transparency did offer a fuller picture of efforts to track and diagnose the virus. (Ryan and Lazar, 3/16)
The Wall Street Journal:
How South Korea Put Into Place The World’s Most Aggressive Coronavirus Test Program
Returning home after a workday last week, Kang Min-kyung stared at a jarring notice taped to her front door: “We’d like you to get tested for coronavirus.” A fellow tenant of her downtown Seoul apartment building had tested positive earlier in the day. Her city district’s “Disaster and Safety Headquarters” recommended she get examined within 48 hours and provided the address for a nearby medical facility. Ms. Kang went that night. The free test took 10 minutes. (Yoon and Martin, 3/16)
Kaiser Health News:
Biden Falsely Blames Trump Administration For Rejecting WHO Coronavirus Test Kits (That Were Never Offered)
During Sunday night’s debate, while leveling criticism at President Donald Trump’s handling of the national response to the coronavirus pandemic, former Vice President Joe Biden said the Trump administration refused to get coronavirus testing kits from the World Health Organization. “Look, the World Health Organization offered the testing kits that they have available and to give it to us now. We refused them. We did not want to buy them. We did not want to get them from them. We wanted to make sure we had our own,” Biden said. (Knight andGreenberg, 3/16)
WBUR:
Think You Need A Coronavirus Test? Here Are The Steps To Protect You And Everyone Else
Many of us will wonder if we need to be tested for the coronavirus in the coming weeks. Here are the steps you can follow, provided by doctors in the Boston area, in keeping with recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Following these steps will help protect you, your fellow patients and the emergency room staff, who we all need to keep safe and on the job. (Bebinger, 3/16)
Boston Globe:
On Cape Cod, Drive-Through Coronavirus Tests
With Massachusetts being buffeted by coronavirus-related closures and the statewide caseload nearly topping 200, drive-through testing for the virus is being provided to patients at a community college on Cape Cod, authorities said Monday. Cape Cod Healthcare, in conjunction with the Barnstable County Department of Health and Environment, is providing the service to patients with a doctor’s order, which must come from a doctor within the company’s health system. The service started Monday, according to a joint press release from both organizations. (McDonald, 3/16)
Philadelphia Inquirer:
Penn, Main Line Health Offer “Drive-Through” Coronavirus Testing. But Taking A Nasal Swab Is Just The First Step.
Penn Medicine and Main Line Health on Monday became the latest health systems to announce “drive-through testing” for coronavirus infection. The number of drive-through sites is growing in an effort to make testing safer, faster, and more available. (McCullough, 3/16)
New Orleans Times-Picayune:
Louisiana Lab Testing Coronavirus Samples Had Previous Problems, Regulators Reported
The state-run laboratory that’s testing hundreds of Louisianans for the coronavirus was at risk of losing its license in recent years after federal regulators found problems that could have affected the validity of the tests they were running, according to federal inspection reports. (Gallo, 3/16)
Detroit Free Press:
Detroit Mayor Faults Feds For Failing To Deliver Enough Tests
As Detroit health care workers check the city's homeless for fevers, Mayor Mike Duggan slammed the federal government for hindering local officials' efforts to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. "We should have a lot more tools to fight this," Duggan said Monday. "There's no doubt about it, the country was not prepared." (Elrick, 3/16)