Trump Fails Again Only 6,563 Americans Tested As Of Today

Despite vows to drastically expand the coronavirus testing regime, federal and state public health authorities have tested only 6,563 people for the coronavirus as of Tuesday morning, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and numbers provided by all 50 states. 

That number stands in stark contrast to the promises made by leading members of the Trump administration’s coronavirus task force, who have variously asserted that 75,000 people would be tested by last week’s end and that laboratories across the United States would have the capacity to conduct 1.5 million tests by the beginning of this week. 

Link

You have to have priorities right? Bailing out Investors, The Travel Industry (Including Trump) and of course the shale oil business.  

Every doctor that I've seen on TV or read about says that one should not be tested unless one exhibits symptoms.  I'm not sure if I agree with this, but that's most most doctors are saying.

Here's what the CDC is saying about testing and who should be tested.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/lab/guidelines-clinical-specimens.html

The trouble with that is that the average layperson has no way to distinguish symptoms of the coronavirus from those of other afflictions, such as the flu. For that matter, it's difficult for doctors to tell. Also, for the purposes of containment, we'd need to identify and isolate asymptotic cases--and 4 out of every 5 who are infected show no symptoms.

I think that doctors are saying that's what we should do given the severe lack of test kits. It might be hopeless to try to contain the virus at this point, so the purpose of testing now would be more to treat individuals than to control contagion.

Self-quarantine is still a reasonable strategy, of course--if that's something you can actually manage and continue to live your life.

I agree with your premise but not your conclusion. Its true 4 out of 5 who are infected show no syptoms. However, hundreds of thousands ARE showing symtoms of the regular flu that will clog up the system by demanding the test. This is a waste of resources when trying to mitigate Carrona. Its also true that even those who recovered from a mild case are still able to test positive and transmit it.  Were not refusing to give tests because of the lack of tests, were refusing because we want the best data and allocation of resources. There will be a time to test everyone. That time is not now.

About 4 million test kits will be in inventory by next week.  There is no current shortage of test kits, although that was for a while.  Thanks to the CDC mistake for that.

People still aren't being tested. Everyone experiencing Flu-like symptoms should be tested, everyone that came into contact with an infected person should be tested, everyone in hot-sports should be tested. While test kits are available in a lot of areas now, we don't have the labs to process them. The end result is people still aren't being tested.  This was entirely foreseeable and one of the first things that should have been addressed. 

Those firefighters that went into the nursing home in Seattle still weren't tested as of yesterday because there wasn't a lab available to analyze their samples.  Their samples went bad while they waited. The current procedure is if your doctor recommends a test it goes to your county health department that has to sign-off, then it goes to your state health department to sign-off and finally to the CDC to sign-off. The only way you will get a test is if there are kits available and lab capacity in your area no matter how bad off you are. 

Trump's team testified today some people aren't getting tested until their autopsy and those are the "lucky" ones as a lot of COVID-19 deaths are simply getting listed as pneumonia due to the non-availability of testing.

Because Trump wasn't ready for the crisis we have a massive number of people spreading the virus unbeknownst to them.  This will likely be the biggest disaster in the history of the United States. 

Dr. Brian Monahan, the attending physician of Congress and the U.S. Supreme Court, said he expects 70 million to 150 million people in the U.S. will become infected with COVID-19, NBC News reported Wednesday.

Source 

 Many on this site have argued that trump should be listening to medical professionals.  The standard policy from the medical profession is to not test people if they are asymptomatic.  That might not be the best call, but that's the most common medical suggestion from medical professionals as of today

Trump doesn't deserve blame for lack of testing IMO.   The problems that have occurred largely would have occurred under any regime on that front.

Trump's role (and trhat of VP MIke Pence) is largely to communicate with the people about the severity of the illness and keep everyone updated on the response.   ANd this is where he fails -       First ridiculing news of the outbreak as "fake news".   Then saying Democrats made it up to make him look bad.  Then saying its all under control.   Then having his health secretary give an update on the stockl market with no information on the outbreak response.    All while  having Republicans wearing gas masks on the House floor to make light of the emergency.

We have to rely on the "Deep State" public servants that have served faithfully under several administrations in their roles in the CDC and Department of Health.   And its a good thing they're driving.  You dont want President CLusterfuck to have the wheel on anything.   

As usual, people have quickly figured out they should listen to the public servants instead of their boss who undermines and contratdicts them.

Show me some links of what these medical professionals are saying. Every other country is testing those groups I described. What you are simply describing is a triage situation.  I.e. there isn't testing capacity so we are going to test only the people we deem most in need not everyone that good science deems should be tested.

I note all of those Republican congress critters got tested when they were asymptomatic and will be tested again before they leave self-quarantine.