Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Trump Thinks Testing Is No Longer A Problem, But Governors Beg To Disagree
The New York Times: Trump Suggests Lack Of Testing Is No Longer A Problem. Governors Disagree.
President Trump told governors on a conference call on Monday that he had not “heard about testing in weeks,” suggesting that a chronic lack of kits to screen people for the coronavirus was no longer a problem. But governors painted a different picture on the ground. Gov. Steve Bullock of Montana, a Democrat, said that officials in his state were trying to do “contact tracing” — tracking down people who have come into contact with those who have tested positive — but that they were struggling because “we don’t have adequate tests,” according to an audio recording of the conversation obtained by The New York Times. (Martin, Haberman and Baker, 3/30)
The Hill: Trump Defends US Coronavirus Testing As 'Very Much On Par' With Other Countries
President Trump on Monday insisted that America’s ability to test for the coronavirus is “very much on par” with other countries, criticizing a reporter who asked why the U.S. isn’t testing as many people per capita as South Korea. Trump said at a Monday evening White House press conference that the population of the U.S. is far more spread out, with less dense regions that have seen less of an impact from COVID-19, suggesting that testing was not needed in those places. (Chalfant, 3/30)
The New York Times: The Lost Month: How A Failure To Test Blinded The U.S. To Covid-19
Early on, the dozen federal officials charged with defending America against the coronavirus gathered day after day in the White House Situation Room, consumed by crises. They grappled with how to evacuate the United States consulate in Wuhan, China, ban Chinese travelers and extract Americans from the Diamond Princess and other cruise ships. The members of the coronavirus task force typically devoted only five or 10 minutes, often at the end of contentious meetings, to talk about testing, several participants recalled. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, its leaders assured the others, had developed a diagnostic model that would be rolled out quickly as a first step. (Shear, Goodnough, Kaplan, Fink, Thomas and Weiland, 3/28)
PBS NewsHour: Why The U.S. Is Still ‘Severely Constrained’ In Ability To Test For COVID-19
Despite recent signs of advancement, many health experts say the U.S. capacity to test for the novel coronavirus remains too limited and progress too slow. President Trump has previously claimed anyone could be tested -- but that isn't what we’re hearing from people who have tried. (Nuzzo, 3/30)
Modern Healthcare: Limited Testing Poses Challenges To Mapping COVID-19 Spread
As information continues to emerge about COVID-19, researchers and companies are trying new approaches to map the outbreak.But how to accurately display and project the spread of the disease has proven difficult, particularly given the limited number of tests available to confirm where cases of COVID-19 actually are. (Cohen, 3/30)
Stat: Test Makers Are Moving Fast, But The Coronavirus May Be Moving Faster
In Lake Success, a village on the border of suburban Long Island and the New York City borough of Queens, there is a building that was erected to house defense engineers during World War II. It was designed to withstand enemy bombing, with a pool of water on the roof to help camouflage it in the event of airstrikes. Today, it is on the front line of a very different war. (Herper, 3/31)
ABC News: New Rapid Coronavirus Diagnostic Test Can Provide Results In As Little As 5 Minutes
A new novel coronavirustest may make diagnosing COVID-19 as easy as the flu. The new point-of-care test, having just received an emergency-use authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), will be able to deliver results in as little as five minutes, according to the manufacturer. This test from medical device company Abbott, which begins shipping April 1, may soon be available at your local urgent care clinic. (David, 3/30)
