Vaunted White House virus testing couldn't protect Trump

His press secretary once described President Donald Trump as “most tested man in America” when it came to COVID-19. And variations on that mess were White House ready response any time critics questioned president's lax approach to following guidelines for avoiding vel coronavirus.

But that vaunted testing operation proved woefully insufficient in protecting president and those who work for him at White House, as evidenced by a string of positive tests over past week for Trump, his wife and ors in ir orbit.

Trump demonstrated in dramatic fashion that relying on testing alone isn’t eugh to create a safe bubble. Mask wearing and social distancing are or key ingredients for preventing spread of COVID-19, and both have often been in short supply at White House.

From earliest days of virus, Trump has provided conflicting advice on wearing a mask, ting that federal health experts were recommending m, but adding that “I don’t think I’m going to be doing it.”

At ar point, he said that “maybe y’re great, and maybe y’re just good. Maybe y’re t so good.”

And just last week, he poked at Democratic presidential rival Joe Biden on topic: “Every time you see him, he’s got a mask. He could be speaking 200 feet ways from m, and he shows up with biggest mask I’ve ever seen.”

While White House has t insisted on masks, it has insisted on testing. Anyone in close proximity to president or vice president is tested prior to day's events, including reporters. president is also tested regularly, as are his most senior aides.

“He’s tested more than anyone, multiple times a day. And we believe that he’s acting appropriately,” White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in July when asked wher president was sending mixed messs on mask wearing. McEnany herself tested positive for virus on Monday, she said.

A negative test result can sound reassuring, but it doesn’t necessarily mean a person is free from coronavirus and t contagious. When virus enters body, it takes over a cell’s machinery to copy itself, while fending off body’s immune defenses. But process takes a few days, so it can take a while before viral particles can be detected by a test. In or words, testing too early can mean virus will be collected on swab.

re are or reasons for false negative test results. A test could be conducted poorly and t get a good sample. And compared with or tests, rapid tests return more false negatives. Food and Drug Administration has said Abbott ID w test — one used for screening at White House — is meant to be used with people who are suspected of being sick and a negative test result doesn’t rule out COVID-19.

“It’s helpful to keep in mind that tests discover presence of coronavirus once re’s eugh viral material in a person to be able to detect it,” Abbott spokesman John Koval said in an email. “ test detects virus immediately after person becomes infected.”

“Testing alone doesn’t prevent disease spread,” said Dr. Cyrus Shahpar, a former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention scientist w at nprofit group Resolve to Save Lives that works to prevent epidemics. It must be combined with consistent mask wearing, hand washing, staying 6 feet apart and avoiding large garings.

main benefit of testing, Shahpar said, is to identify people with infections and isolate m before y can spread disease to ors.

“Tests can have false positives and false negatives, and test is perfect. It is also just a snapshot of situation when person was tested,” Shahpar said.

Asked if testing provided a false sense of security, spokesman Judd Deere said physician to president and White House Military Office worked with White House to “ensure all plans and procedures, including testing, incorporate current CDC guidance and best practices for limiting COVID-19 exposure to greatest extent possible."

Health experts also advise social distancing, but that recommendation has been igred for several recent White House events, most tably his mination acceptance speech on South Lawn and a Sept. 26 Rose Garden ceremony anuncing mination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to serve on Supreme Court. While events were held outdoors, attendees sat shoulder-to-shoulder with barely a mask in sight.

Trump gared more than 150 people in Rose Garden, where y mingled, hugged and shook hands — overwhelmingly without masks. re were also several indoor receptions, where Barrett, her family, senators and ors gared in close quarters inside White House.

Among those who attended who have w tested positive, in addition to Trump, his wife Melania and McEnany: former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, president of University of tre Dame and at least two Republican lawmakers — Utah Sen. Mike Lee and rth Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis.

re’s way to kw if Rose Garden event was where Trump was exposed. president had a full week of official and campaign events before his hospitalization Friday.

This story has t been edited by www.republicworld.com and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.