Testing Can Still Depend On Who You Know, Exacerbating Socioeconomic Disparities In Outbreak
A lack of a national allocation system has created a patchy landscape of unequal testing access. In some places anyone can get a test. In others it's a struggle. The divide threatens to worsen disparities that are already influencing the crisis. Meanwhile, Japan reports success in bucking the "test, test, test" model that's being championed by public health experts worldwide. In other news: not everyone is rushing to get a test; should people get one even without symptoms?; costs continue to be a factor even with the promise of a free test; and more.
The Wall Street Journal:
Access To Coronavirus Testing Can Depend On Who You Know
Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., is known as a summer haven for jet-setters, but its year-round residents have struggled along with other working-class communities to break the pandemic’s stranglehold. Now, though, one of its part-timers is helping out by making coronavirus tests available to any resident who wants one. After a conversation with his landscaper—a town politician—about testing availability, Stephen Rusckowski, the chief executive of lab giant Quest Diagnostics Inc., said his company would provide expanded access to diagnostic testing on the island. (Krouse and Abbott, 5/31)
The New York Times:
Testing Is Key To Beating Coronavirus, Right? Japan Has Other Ideas
As the world tries to get a handle on the coronavirus and emerge from paralyzing lockdowns, public health officials have repeated a mantra: “test, test, test.” But Japan went its own way, limiting tests to only the most severe cases as other countries raced to screen as many people as possible. Medical experts worried that the approach would blind the country to the spread of infection, allowing cases to explode and swamping hospitals. It hasn’t happened. (Dooley and Inoue, 5/29)
The Washington Post:
Why Aren't More People Seeking Covid-19 Tests In D.C.?
On a recent morning at a free walk-up coronavirus testing site in the District of Columbia, blue-gowned workers wearing face shields and masks often stood by with nothing to do. They mostly outnumbered those seeking tests. Between the District’s public lab and those associated with hospitals and other care providers, officials say there is capacity to test about 5,500 people a day. But the number of people asking for tests hasn’t reached anywhere near that figure. (Thompson, 5/30)
NPR:
Coronavirus Testing: Should I Go For It Even If I Have No Symptoms?
Earlier in this pandemic, the shortage of tests for the coronavirus was a major problem in fighting the spread of COVID-19. The shortage was such that many hospitals and clinics would test only someone who had traveled to a country with an outbreak, had a known exposure to a positive case or showed symptoms of the disease. But access to tests has improved significantly, and in some places, people can now get tested without having to show any symptoms at all. So if you can get tested, should you? The answer is a little complicated. (Wamsley, 5/31)
Kaiser Health News:
‘An Arm And A Leg’: The $7,000 COVID Test And Other Lessons From SEASON-19
Host Dan Weissmann spoke with three people who have very different reflections on what the COVID-19 pandemic is costing us. (Weissmann, 6/1)
CNN:
Covid-19: Sewage Could Hold The Key To Stopping New Coronavirus Outbreaks
The vast brown rivers of sludge that gush into the sewage treatment plants across Germany may hold a key to early detection of any new wave of the coronavirus, scientists tell CNN. The Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research is leading a trial that's sampling wastewater from plants serving some of the largest urban areas and trying to find evidence of the coronavirus. The ultimate goal is for almost all sewage plants to install these coronavirus early warning systems so as to track the spread of Covid-19. (Pleitgen, 6//1)
Las Vegas Review-Journal:
CDC Issues Accuracy Warning As Nevada Ramps Up Antibody Testing
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned this week that some coronavirus antibody tests are inaccurate and cautioned that even the better tests should not be used to determine who can safely return to work or school. “Suffice to say, CDC is adequately worried about all the junk (antibody) tests that FDA let out on the market,” Mark Pandori, the director of Nevada State Public Health Laboratory, said in an email, responding to questions from the Review-Journal. (Hynes, 5/29)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Bay Area Companies Grapple With Challenges Of Work-Site Testing
As some of the 250 Bay Area employees at Sequoia Consulting Group prepare to return to their San Mateo office, probably this month, they’ll be part of a grand experiment that millions of U.S. workers may soon join: having to get a coronavirus diagnostic test, and test negative, before going back to work. (Ho, 6/1)
Boston Globe:
Virus Testing In Towns Across State A Mixed Bag. Eight Of Every 100 People Have Been Tested.
The new data offered a glimpse of where testing has been most intensive, which includes cities that have been particularly hard hit by the pandemic, such as Chelsea and Brockton. The breakdown also showed testing has varied significantly from town to town, though the data made it hard to draw concrete conclusions. (Ryan, 5/30)
