Page 23 - HOH

A28 SCIENCE
Saturday 21 March 2020
U.S. virus testing faces new headwind: Lab supply shortages

By MATTHEW PERRONE tion has instructed countries
WASHINGTON (AP) — First, to "test, test, test" to track
some of the coronavi- and isolate those carrying
rus tests didn't work. Then the virus. But the evolving
there weren't enough to message from U.S. deci-
go around. Now, just as sion-makers acknowledges
the federal government that many suspected cases
tries to ramp up nationwide will likely go untested.
screening, laboratory work- The White House has in-
ers are warning of a new creasingly emphasized
roadblock: dire shortages that testing should prioritize
of testing supplies. the elderly and health care
The shortages are the latest workers who have symp-
stumble in a botched effort toms of the virus. While most
to track the spread of coro- cases of COVID-19 are mild
navirus that has left the U.S. and tens of thousands of
weeks behind many other people have recovered,
developed countries. Dwin- older people and those
dling supplies include both with underlying health
chemical components and problems are at higher risk
basic swabs needed to for more serious problems,
collect patient samples. such as pneumonia.
There are "acute, seri- "We don't want everyone
ous shortages across the to go out and get a test be-
board" for supplies needed cause there's no reason for
to do the tests, said Eric it," President Donald Trump
Blank, of the Association of In this Wednesday, March 11, 2020 file photo, a technician prepares COVID-19 coronavirus pa- told reporters in a briefing
Public Health Laboratories, tient samples for testing at a laboratory in New York's Long Island. Friday. (Two weeks ago,
which represents state and Associated Press Trump declared "anybody
local health labs. who wants a test can get a
Blank said government labs On Thursday California's of swabs, liquids to store tive supplies. test." But his deputies later
in the U.S. are compet- governor told its 40 million patient samples and kits to "Usually it's that the lab walked back that state-
ing for supplies with larg- residents to stay home in- develop the results. Many people do not understand ment.)
er commercial labs and definitely and venture out- labs are having similar that there are alternative The CDC tells people to
governments around the side only for essential jobs. problems, said Bill Whitmar. supplies in the marketplace seek testing if they have
world. In conference calls But public health experts "Quite frankly, 95% to 98% that they are perfectly free certain symptoms of the
this week with the Centers stress that policymakers are of the talk between lab di- to use," Azar told reporters flu-like illness caused by the
for Disease Control and "flying blind" in deciding rectors has been about the in a briefing at the White coronavirus – fever, cough
Prevention, some lab staff how to manage the pan- shortage of supplies," Whit- House. He said the federal and trouble breathing –
warned that they may demic. mar said. government is purchas- and if they have traveled
have to shut down testing "The only way to get At this point only 500 swabs ing and shipping swabs to recently to an outbreak
within days due to lack of through it without testing is are available. And the lab states. area or have been in close
components, Blank said. to keep the entire country only has supplies to last Whitmar, the Missouri lab contact with someone who
Wide scale testing is a criti- quarantined for the next 18 through Tuesday, he re- director, said many sup- is infected. They should first
cal part of tracking and months" said Dr. Ashish Jha, ported. pliers just don't have the be tested for the flu and
containing infectious dis- a Harvard University global The Jefferson City lab does products in stock. other routine infections.
eases like COVID-19. But health professor. "That obvi- only a fraction of the coro- "An order is not a swab in While doctors are sup-
the U.S. effort has been ously is untenable." navirus testing performed in hand," he said. posed to decide who ulti-
plagued by a series of mis- Jha and his colleagues say Missouri, with commercial The coronavirus test uses mately gets tested, many
steps, including accuracy the U.S. should be screen- labs now doing the largest a chemical chain reac- state labs have adjusted
problems with tests the ing 100,000 to 150,000 peo- share. But Whitmar's lab is tion to detect tiny traces their guidelines depending
CDC sent to other labs and ple per day. The current where tests are run on the of the virus' genetic ma- on testing availability.
bureaucratic hurdles that rate is roughly 20,000 per people most likely to be in- terial and reproduce it The Trump administration
slowed the entrance of day, he estimates, though fected in that state. many times. State and lo- is expected to soon an-
large, private sector labs. it is accelerating as larger The shortages have be- cal health labs follow the nounce the rollout of near-
With the virus spreading, of- commercial companies come a central concern technique first developed ly 50 community-based
ficials in the U.S. have shift- ramp up testing. in increasingly urgent com- by the CDC, which calls for testing centers around the
ed focus from tracking the The director of Missouri's munications among gover- a specific genetic kit made country, including drive-
virus to extraordinary mea- state lab said Friday that his nors and federal officials. by German diagnostic firm thru sites.
sures to blunt its damage. facility is facing shortages "Most of my phone calls Qiagen. Labs around the Some experts worry the in-
today have been about globe are reporting short- troduction of convenient,
swabs," Gov. Gina Raimon- age of those kits. mass screening will divert
do said during a Tuesday Qiagen said this week it is supplies from people with
news conference. "That's trying to boost production severe symptoms to those
our big issue at the mo- from normal levels, which who face lower risks.
ment." are capable of testing 1.5 "It's taking supplies that are
The Trump administration's million patients per month, already in very short supply
top health official suggest- to amounts that would al- away from the testing labo-
ed Friday that the "anec- low for testing more than 10 ratories that are doing nec-
dotal" reports of shortages million patients by the end essary testing," said Blank,
are caused by confusion of June. of the public health labs
about how to find alterna- The World Health Organiza- association.q