Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Trump Unveils Testing Plan That Falls Far Short Of What Public Health Experts Say Is Necessary
The New York Times: Trump Vows More Coronavirus Testing, But Less Than What May Be Needed
President Trump, under growing pressure to expand coronavirus testing as states move to reopen their economies, unveiled a new plan on Monday to ramp up the federal government’s help to states, but his proposal runs far short of what most public health experts say is necessary. Mr. Trump’s announcement in the Rose Garden came after weeks of him insisting, inaccurately, that the nation’s testing capability “is fully sufficient to begin opening up the country,” as he said on April 18. Numerous public health experts say that is untrue, and Mr. Trump’s plan may do little to fix it. (Stolberg, 4/27)
The Associated Press: Doubts About Testing Remain In Spite Of Trump's Assurances
The White House released new guidelines aimed at answering criticism that America’s coronavirus testing has been too slow, and President Donald Trump tried to pivot toward a focus on “reopening” the nation. Still, there were doubts from public health experts that the White House’s new testing targets were sufficient. (Miller, Colvin and Lemire, 4/28)
The Washington Post: White House Issues Coronavirus Testing Guidance That Leaves States In Charge
Pressure mounted Monday on the White House and Congress to develop a national strategy to test Americans for exposure to the novel coronavirus, as health and economic experts said the current patchwork of testing efforts is insufficient to allow the economy to reopen safely. Governors, congressional leaders and public health officials have pressed for a robust testing plan from the federal government, insisting that frequent and widespread testing is crucial to ending the stay-at-home orders that have idled businesses across much of the country. (DeBonis, Mooney and Eilperin, 4/27)
The Wall Street Journal: Trump Administration Has Enough Tests For 2% Of Each State’s Population, Official Says
“We’re deploying the full power and strength of the federal government to help states, cities, to help local governments get this horrible plague over with,” Mr. Trump said in a Rose Garden press conference, in which he was joined by several executives. Adm. Brett Giroir, the administration official overseeing coronavirus testing efforts, said the federal government would be able to supply every state with the supplies and tests they need to “dramatically increase” the number of tests. (Bender and Abbott, 4/27)
CNN: Trump Returns To The Stage With Underwhelming Testing Promises
The rosy assessments of progress appear to contrast with the reality in the states, as fears mount that early openings in some regions could cause a spike in infections -- and with business sparse in shops and restaurants that have already opened up, for instance, in Georgia on Monday. The President dodged a question over whether he bore any responsibility for the deaths of more Americans than those who perished in Vietnam in a pandemic that he denied was ever coming to US shores. Despite weeks of prior warning that the virus would spread around the world, the President blamed China for not keeping it confined to its territory, thereby absolving himself of a buck stops moment. (Collinson, 4/28)
Stat: New Trump Plan Aims To Offer 2 Million Coronavirus Tests Per Week
The 2-million-tests-per-week pledge would represent a dramatic testing capacity increase for the U.S., where roughly 5.4 million coronavirus tests have been conducted to date. Yet it also represents the low end of what many public health officials estimate the country will require to safely reopen, according to an analysis conducted by STAT and leading public health officials. Other leading researchers have estimated that for most Americans to safely return to work, testing capacity might need to reach between 3 and 4 million per week. (Facher, 4/27)
Politico: With More Testing, White House Prepares For Outbreaks This Summer ‘And Beyond’
Several national retailers, including CVS Health, Kroger Health and Walmart, announced they would significantly expand coronavirus testing efforts in May. The United States has run about 5.5 million coronavirus tests after a slow start caused by the botched rollout of CDC's diagnostic test. But the number of tests analyzed has risen dramatically in recent days: More than 1.5 million samples have been processed in the past week alone, according to The COVID Tracking Project. (Lim and Tahir, 4/27)
ABC News: Despite Slow Start, White House Doubles Down On Testing Partnership With Retailers
But those and other major retailers have made only modest progress in the 45 days since Trump first announced the federal partnership, predicting Americans would be able to easily access drive-thru testing sites in parking lots across the country. "The goal is for individuals to be able to drive up and be swabbed without having to leave your car," Trump said in his March 13 remarks in the Rose Garden. Since that time, the participating retail giants -- who boast a combined 28,903 store locations across the country -- have launched 69 drive-thru testing sites. (Rubin and Mosk, 4/28)
The Hill: Schumer Demands GOP Convene Hearings On Coronavirus Testing, Small Business Program
Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said on Monday that Republicans should "immediately" start oversight of the government's coronavirus response and related legislation, including holding public hearings. “Now that Leader McConnell has decided the Senate will reconvene next week, he should instruct his Committee Chairs to immediately begin vigorous and desperately needed oversight of the Trump administration’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its implementation of the CARES Act," Schumer said in a statement. (Carney, 4/27)
NPR: Testing Could Unlock A Return To Normal Life, But Obstacles Persist
Testing is the key that will unlock normalization for millions of Americans. It's the doorway between the disaster response mode of the pandemic and confidence about returning to work, school and life. And it's also still apparently weeks or more away from scaling to a level that will make a big difference for most people in most places. (Ewing and Moore, 4/28)
The Associated Press: Pence To Visit Mayo Clinic To Learn About Testing 'Moonshot'
Vice President Mike Pence has an appointment Tuesday at Minnesota’s Mayo Clinic to learn about a new coronavirus testing “moonshot” that has the famed clinic partnering with the state and its flagship university to quickly boost the state’s capacity to 20,000 tests a day. It’s an approach that leverages a health care infrastructure not all states can match. And it should help Minnesota become one of the most aggressive states at testing on the scale experts say is necessary to safely reopen the economy. Minnesota is one of several states that have quit waiting for the federal government for help. (Karnowski, 4/27)
NPR: Pence Trips Show It's Not Easy To Return To Political Normal
A source familiar with the vice president's plans confirmed that Pence and Trump staffers are meeting regularly to talk about lessons they have learned from the Pence trips, such as new security and health protocols. NPR accompanied Pence on his first two trips. There were several new safety protocols evident. For example, at Andrews Air Force Base, masked officers in camouflage took the temperatures of passengers traveling with Pence and made sure no one showed symptoms of the virus. (Ordonez, 4/28)
