New York City Building Its Own Supply Line For Testing Kits That Leaders See As Essential To Reopening
City officials hope to avoid a repeat of the chaotic scramble for medical equipment that marked the early weeks of the pandemic. Meanwhile, states struggle to develop and maintain their testing strategies with little federal guidance.
The Wall Street Journal:
Now Made In New York City: Much-Needed Coronavirus Test Kits
New York City officials are building a supply line of locally made coronavirus viral test kits, which they say is essential to safely reopening the economy. Two New York City companies and one college are on track to deliver 100,000 test kits a week by the end of June, according to the New York City Economic Development Corp., which is coordinating the effort. Having a reliable and local source of testing materials is critical as the city moves forward with reopening its businesses and offices, said EDC Chief Executive James Patchett. (King, 6/10)
The Washington Post:
States Are Wrestling On Their Own With How To Expand Testing, With Little Guidance From The Trump Administration
In Maryland, drive-through coronavirus testing sites are now open to all residents, whether or not they show signs of illness. In Oregon, by contrast, officials have said that generally only people with symptoms of covid-19, the illness associated with the coronavirus, should be tested — even in the case of front-line health-care workers. (Weiner and Helderman, 6/10)
And in other testing news —
Reuters:
Europe Sets Sights On Dud Antibody Tests Amid COVID-19 Free-For-All
The market for COVID-19 antibody tests is red-hot. It has ballooned in a matter of months as hundreds of products flood the world for people who want to find out whether they’ve already had the virus. The problem is, some of them don’t work properly. As a result, European authorities aim to tighten regulation of the new sector, to weed out tests that give consistently inaccurate results and crack down on companies that make false claims, three sources familiar with the plans told Reuters. (Guarascio, 6/11)
CNN:
Medical Supply Company Threw Out Products After Donald Trump Toured Its Facility
A medical supply company said Tuesday that it discarded the products it had produced during President Donald Trump's visit to its headquarters in Maine last week. Puritan Medical Products said it had decided ahead of Trump's visit on Friday to throw away the swabs it produced due to the number of people who would be visiting the facility, including government officials, security personnel and the media. (Nedelman, 6/10)
The Washington Post:
Arrayit President Mark Schena Charged With Fraud In Connection To Covid-19 Test
The Justice Department said Tuesday that it had brought its first criminal securities fraud case related to the coronavirus pandemic against a California biotech executive in connection with an unapproved blood test that purported to detect the novel coronavirus. Mark Schena, president of Sunnyvale-based Arrayit, was charged with securities fraud and conspiracy to commit health-care fraud in the Northern District of California. The charges stem from an existing allergy test the company said it wanted to bundle with a coronavirus test. (Lerman, 6/9)
