Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Trump Administration Puts Testing Responsibility On States, Falsely Claims Supplies Can Meet Demand
The New York Times: Trump Administration Coronavirus Testing Strategy Draws Concerns: 'This Isn't The Hunger Games'
The Trump administration’s new testing strategy, released Sunday to Congress, holds individual states responsible for planning and carrying out all coronavirus testing, while planning to provide some supplies needed for the tests. The proposal also says existing testing capacity, if properly targeted, is sufficient to contain the outbreak. But epidemiologists say that amount of testing is orders of magnitude lower than many of them believe the country needs. (Mandavilli and Edmondson, 5/25)
The Associated Press: Federal Coronavirus Testing Plan Puts Burden On States
The 81-page document from the Department of Health and Human Services says, “State plans must establish a robust testing program that ensures adequacy of COVID-19 testing, including tests for contact tracing, and surveillance of asymptomatic persons to determine community spread.” It says the federal government will “ensure that States have the collection supplies that they need through December 2020.” To that end, the administration plans to acquire and distribute 100 million swabs and 100 million tubes of viral transport media. The HHS document, which The Washington Post first reported, recommends that all states “have an objective of testing a minimum of 2 percent of their population in May and June.” (5/25)
CNN: Trump Administration's Latest Testing Report Again Largely Places Responsibility With States
As states reopen and lift restrictions, health experts have emphasized that adequate testing, which has been a central challenge since the beginning of the pandemic, is necessary to detect coronavirus and trace its spread. The US has experienced significant challenges in testing, including flawed testing sent to states at the beginning of the pandemic that slowed containment efforts, lack of testing supplies to ensure Americans are properly tested and mixed messaging on who can get tested. The White House has frequently emphasized what it sees as the states' responsibility to handle testing, saying in a blueprint on testing last month that the federal government is the "supplier of last resort." (Duster and Fox, 5/25)
The Hill: Democratic Leaders Say Trump Testing Strategy Is 'To Deny The Truth' About Lack Of Supplies
Democratic leaders said Monday that President Trump’s strategy for coronavirus testing is to “deny the truth” about the current lack of supplies. Democrats, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (N.Y.), reacted in a statement to the Trump administration’s plan for testing that was submitted to Congress on Sunday. The congressional leaders alleged the administration “still does not have a serious plan” to boost testing to prevent COVID-19 from spreading further. (Coleman, 5/25)
ProPublica: In Hard-Hit New Jersey, COVID-19 Saddles Some Small Health Departments With Crushing Workload
The beaches of the Jersey Shore are set to reopen on Friday. But in a state where nearly 11,000 people have been killed by COVID-19, the same public health system that struggled to implement widespread testing faces what could be an even larger challenge: preventing a second wave of infection that experts say is almost inevitable without coordinated, aggressive efforts. And more than almost any state in the country, New Jersey relies on small, local health departments, which have found themselves stretched far beyond their missions by the pandemic. (Campbell and Kaplan, 5/22)
In other testing and tracing news —
The Associated Press: CDC, States' Reporting Of Virus Test Data Causes Confusion
Elected officials, businesses and others are depending on coronavirus testing and infection-rate data as states reopen so that they will know if a second wave of contagion is coming — and whether another round of stay-at-home orders or closings might be needed. But states are reporting those figures in different ways, and that can lead to frustration and confusion about what the numbers mean. In some places, there have been data gaps that leave local leaders wondering whether they should loosen or tighten restrictions. (Smith, 5/24)
The Washington Post: D.C. Region Will Have Enough Testing And Tracing Capacity By July To Contain Coronavirus, Officials Say
The Washington region is just weeks from having enough testing equipment, laboratory capacity and contact tracers to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, assuming the public cooperates, officials said. Despite having one of the highest rates in the country of people testing positive for the infection, the region is expected to achieve its desired capacity to conduct testing and tracing in June or early July, according to public health officials in the District, Maryland and Virginia. (McCartney, 5/25)
CIDRAP: Studies: Early Tests, Not Symptom Screening, Can Control COVID-19 In Nursing Homes
A new study in JAMA Internal Medicine examines COVID-19 prevalence in a single Seattle-area combined assisted and independent care facility, and shows that symptomatic surveillance alone does not provide an accurate picture of COVID-19 prevalence in that setting. While many residents complained of COVID-19 symptoms, few had the virus when tested twice over a period of weeks. (Soucheray, 5/22)
The New York Times: A Virus-Hunter Falls Prey To A Virus He Underestimated
“This is the revenge of the viruses,” said Dr. Peter Piot, the director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. “I’ve made their lives difficult. Now they’re trying to get me.” Dr. Piot, 71 years old, is a legend in the battles against Ebola and AIDS. But Covid-19 almost killed him. “A week ago, I couldn’t have done this interview,” he said, speaking recently by Skype from his London dining room, a painting of calla lilies behind him. “I was still short of breath after 10 minutes.” (McNeil, 5/26)
San Francisco Chronicle: Crowdsourced COVID Near You Website Generates Map Of Coronavirus Spread
Maps showing the spread of COVID-19 are invaluable for public health researchers, health care professionals and policymakers. Most are generated based on statistics reported to the government. A new website, covidnearyou.org, asks everyday people to join in self-reporting coronavirus symptoms, using crowdsourcing to help picture where the disease is spreading or receding. Its real-time data help compensate for the fact that testing is still not sufficiently widespread. (Said, 5/25)
