US: Reality shows shortfalls of Trump's claim to 'best testing'

In Sun Belt states where virus is surging , lines of cars with people seeking tests snake for hours in beating sun, often yielding results so far after fact that y're useless. In Pittsburgh, ults who are afraid y’ve been exposed to coronavirus are being asked to skip testing if y can quarantine at home for 14 days to help reduce delays and backlogs.

In Hawaii, goverr will wait ar month to lift a two-week quarantine on visitors because of test supply shorts and delays that potential visitors are facing in getting results. “Testing has been a challenge everywhere,” says Utah Republican Gov. Gary Herbert.

White House insists it’s giving states whatever y need. But public health experts say testing system is in shambles and federal leership is lacking. Trump's persistent salesmanship about prowess of testing in United States is colliding with a far different reality for those affected by explosion in coronavirus cases.

long lines and processing delays are contributing to virus’ spre and upending plans to reopen stores, schools and or activities that are vital to ecomic rebound that Trump himself is intent on bringing about. “We have best testing in world,” president insisted Tuesday. He falsely claimed “ cases are created because of fact that we do tremendous testing.”

But U.S. testing on a per-capita basis lags or countries that have done a far better job of controlling ir outbreaks. And state, local and federal officials are warning of consequences of testing bottlenecks — including tests rendered useless because results come too late. 

“It’s essentially worthless to have a test result that comes back after 48 hours,” said Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency physician and public health professor at George Washington University who previously served as Baltimore’s health commissioner. She explained that after that time, window to begin contact tracing and prevent ditional infections has essentially closed.

“We are where near being able to rein in this virus with amount of testing we have available at moment,” she ded. “Testing is linchpin.”

Trump ministration plays down problem.

m. Brett Giroir, assistant health secretary, says more than half of U.S. states are processing test results in three days or less, ding “everybody is doing a really good job as much as y can.”

Guidelines issued by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that states, as y lift final virus restrictions, have a turnaround time under two days. White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany suggests that it's states that need to do more.

“re are various different s of tests in this country," she said Thursday. "Some take longer to process than ors. But we have surged testing to states and we encour m to use it to ir best ability and to process those tests as quickly as possible.” Yet even Republican goverrs say y need more federal help.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, chairman of National Goverrs Association, is deeply critical of ministration’s testing response. “We expected something more than constant heckling from man who was supposed to be our leer," Hogan wrote in an op-ed in Washington Post this week. "Trump soon disabused us of that expectation.

“On April 6, he declared that testing wasn’t Washington’s responsibility after all," Hogan went on. “'States can do ir own testing,'" he quoted Trump as saying. “'We’re federal government. We’re t supposed to stand on street corners doing testing.'” Whoever is responsible for testing shortfalls, result is working against Trump's own goals to move beyond virus and get ecomy moving.

In Hawaii, Democratic Gov. David Ige said a short of chemical rents used in testing was one reason state will delay a plan to make it easier for tourists to visit. It was a huge disappointment to many in Hawaii hoping for a surge in tourism to reopen hotels, get people back to work and reduce state’s 22.6% unemployment rate.

In Pennsylvania’s Allegheny County, which encompasses Pittsburgh and 1.2 million residents, health officials are trying to tri demand for tests. Dr. Debra Bogen, director of county’s Health Department, is asking ults who are concerned that y were exposed, but do t have symptoms, to put off getting tested.

Even as White House sticks with its rosy outlook, U.S. government’s top official in charge of coronavirus testing is urging Americans t to get retested for COVID-19 to confirm y’ve recovered. “It’s clogging up system,” Giroir said. He said U.S. officials will soon issue guidelines explicitly recommending against practice, except for patients in most severe cases.

American Clinical Laboratory Association said many of its labs are being stretched beyond capacity or don’t have supplies y need, and this week encourd members to give priority to “those most in need, especially hospitalized and symptomatic patients.”

“I feel a bit like a broken record — thing has really changed,” said Dr. Carmen Wiley, president of American Association of Clinical Chemistry. "re’s a huge disconnect between what task force indicates is happening and what we are truly experiencing in field.”

U.S. officials are aiming to increase use of rapid tests to shorten turnaround times. Those tests can usually be developed in 15 minutes or less and be performed at testing sites, doctor’s offices and clinics. y tend to be less accurate than tests that need to be processed at clinical laboratories.

This week U.S. health officials anunced y would begin shipping rapid testing machines and kits to nursing homes in COVID-19 hot spots. goal is to eventually provide equipment to all nursing homes in U.S.  Health and Human Services Department has also been establishing surge test sites in hot spot areas to increase testing for vulnerable populations, said Devin O’Malley a spokesman for Vice President Mike Pence, who is leing coronavirus task force.

Lawrence Gostin, a public health expert at Georgetown University, called Trump ministration’s claims about effective testing “laughable.” “ on--ground experience, in fact, is borne out by data,” Gostin said. “We don’t have testing kits. We don’t have labs to process it. re are backlogs. All of this is very unhelpful.”