Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Dallas Officials Take COVID Testing Into Own Hands
Dallas Morning News: Local Officials To Take Over Coronavirus Testing From Federal Government In Dallas County, Jenkins Says
Dallas County will end its agreement with the federal government this week and assume near-total control of publicly funded coronavirus testing in an effort to provide quicker results, County Judge Clay Jenkins announced Monday on Twitter. (Jones, Garcia and Steele, 7/13)
The Hill: Major Coronavirus Testing Company Says Turnaround Time Averaging At Least 7 Days
Quest Diagnostics, one of the companies performing a significant amount of the coronavirus testing in the U.S., said Monday that its average turnaround time for test results is at least seven days for most patients. The announcement illustrates how the spike in coronavirus cases is overwhelming the country’s testing capacity. (Sullivan, 7/13)
KQED: Hit Or Miss: Californians Describe Vastly Different COVID-19 Testing Experiences
As Californians rush to get tested to reassure themselves and their families they aren’t carrying the virus, many have echoed frustrations: Appointments that are weeks out. Tests being denied. Growing delays for results, and lost tests. Confusion about what insurance will and will not cover. Others have had a mostly seamless experience — in and out of a testing center in less than 30 minutes and results within a day or two. Some have even opted to pay more for a “rapid test” and had results within the hour. (Ibarra, 7/13)
Billings Gazette: Billings Hospitals Offer Asymptomatic Testing To Employees
St. Vincent Healthcare is holding voluntary testing for staff and medical personnel for the next two weeks as part of Bullock’s initiative to conduct over 60,000 tests every month. Billings Clinic will also host several rounds of asymptomatic testing for personnel starting this week. The surveillance testing helps identify healthcare workers who may be asymptomatic and infected with the coronavirus, but mainly, it provides data and information for public health departments. (Hall, 7/13)
Also —
CNN: Mick Mulvaney: Ex-WH Chief Of Staff Calls US Coronavirus Testing Capabilities 'Simply Inexcusable'
Former White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney called the United States' current coronavirus testing capabilities "simply inexcusable" in an op-ed published Monday, marking a rare break from the Trump administration's continued celebration of current testing efforts. Mulvaney asserted in the CNBC.com op-ed that "the current economic crisis is public-health driven," so typical economic incentives won't be as effective, and that "(a)ny stimulus should be directed at the root cause of our recession: dealing with Covid." (Vazquez, 7/13)
Politico: Mulvaney Calls U.S. Coronavirus Testing Abilities 'Inexcusable,' Breaking From Trump
Former White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney on Monday criticized the U.S. coronavirus testing process, calling his family’s difficulties in obtaining tests and delays in the results “inexcusable” in the seventh month of the pandemic, splitting from his former boss’ repeated boasts about testing. (Oprysko, 7/13)
