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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsNew York Is Making Its Own Coronavirus Test After The CDC's Test Has Repeatedly Failed
Federal health officials met with state and city public health labs on Wednesday to fix a crippling lack of options to diagnose the novel coronavirus, a shortfall driven by botched CDC testing kits. As a result, New York state and New York City are moving forward with developing their own test to detect the virus.
The lack of adequate testing capabilities was spotlighted on Wednesday evening, when the CDC announced delayed results of the first potential case of a person contracting COVID-19 from community spread, meaning they got sick without traveling to China or being exposed to anyone known to have the virus.
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Early in February, the CDC released a US genetic test for the virus, sent to about 100 state and major city labs as well as overseas ones. Test kits contained enough ingredients to test a few hundred people for the novel coronavirus. The test proved unreliable in validation tests run by labs, however, leaving fewer than a dozen of the labs nationwide confident of the results. Only the CDC and labs in Illinois, Idaho, Tennessee, California, Nevada and Nebraska, could run tests, according to ProPublica.
The shortfall figured in the extended diagnosis of the Solano County, California, woman reported Wednesday night as the first person in the US with COVID-19 from community exposure. UC Davis Medical Center said that her test results were delayed because neither the county or state lab could run them, and because her symptoms did not initially meet federal diagnostic criteria. The test took four days to approve, and a week later, the CDC announced that the patient had tested positive.
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/danvergano/coronavirus-test-new-york-cdc
silverweb
(16,402 posts)It used to be that government websites were the reliable and trusted source for public health information. No more. When they can't even get a testing kit right and politicians are allowed to censor them, they're worse than useless. I believe nothing any of them say anymore without verification from reputable, reliable sources.
The CDC can't be trusted anymore because they've been defunded, censored, and staffed with bootlickers. Right now, I'm getting all of my COVID-19 information from other than U.S. government sources because our agencies have been corrupted with anti-science bullshit and politicized.
California should develop its own test kits.
SunSeeker
(51,697 posts)We are so far behind other countries. South Korea and Italy have driveup testing. That is the way to go, no sitting in germ filled waiting rooms to be tested.
silverweb
(16,402 posts)Drive-up testing probably has pros and cons, just like every other plan, but innovation is necessary under the circumstances. Trump also has withheld or tried to withhold federal funds from various California departments out of spite, so part of this could be funding problems. I am confident, though, that our state leadership is doing everything possible to optimize our response now and improve preparedness for the future.
SunSeeker
(51,697 posts)And Trump infected our state by bringing infected evacuees to our state and receiving them with unquarantined, untrained and unprotected HHS staff rather than a pandemic response team. Trump disbanded Obama's pandemic response team. As far as I can tell, they still have not been reconstituted.
silverweb
(16,402 posts)Trump will do whatever he can get away with to sabatoge (and preferably cripple) California, but he won't succeed. We have the will and the economy to spit back in his face, and we'll get through this.
Hekate
(90,793 posts)One of the things Calif has to be prepared for is Trump's continual efforts to screw us on purpose. He literally hates NY and CA for opposing him, and no depth is too low, no tactic too petty for this evil man.
silverweb
(16,402 posts)It's been my hope that Newsom would be preparing on all fronts. California has the will, the leadership, and the economy to weather Trump's tantrums until the unholy terror is finally gone.
lame54
(35,321 posts)I figure most hospitals have the raw materials to MacGyver one
silverweb
(16,402 posts)At least some of them are probably available through general scientific supply companies and the State, being as big as it is, may be able to contract with one of those to obtain everything needed. Of course, if all the chemicals and supplies to make the kits come from China, that would be a complication.
bern2020
(23 posts)PCR machines are quite standard. Any decent university lab has them.
ck4829
(35,091 posts)Which we've all got in our government today.
It's a perfect storm of incompetence.
redstatebluegirl
(12,265 posts)The CDC has taken heavy cuts since the orange menace took office. Science is not the enemy here, he is. Scientists across the country in labs at universities and hospitals have seen their research funding slashed in the past 3 years. He has implanted in the minds of his minions the idea that science and truth are their enemy. They think smart people are "making fun of them" well we are, but anyway, they see all intelligent people as "libs who must be destroyed".
I know at least 4 researchers at our institution and others around the country who have been working on super bugs and can't get the funding to complete the research. This is only the beginning if we don't remove this man right away and find a way to silence fox news and their constant attack on education and science in particular.
I don't trust that they will wake up when they start dying. I think they will just blame all of us again, and Obama of course.