The Red Tape Pandemic

The Patroit Post ^ | March 25,2020 | John Stossel

[Hojczyk]

It didn’t have to get to this point.

Coronavirus deaths leveled off in South

Because Koreans got tested, Korean doctors knew who needed to be isolated and

Not in America. In America, a shortage of COVID-19 tests has made it hard for people to get tested. Even those who show all the symptoms have a difficult time.

Why weren’t there enough tests?

Because our government insists on control of medical innovation.

That’s the topic of my new video.

When coronavirus appeared, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention made its own tests and insisted that people only use those CDC tests. But the CDC test often gave inaccurate results. Some early versions of the test couldn’t distinguish between coronavirus and water.

Private companies might have offered better tests, and more of them, but that wasn’t allowed. The World Health Organization even released information on how to make such tests, but our government still said no. Instead, all tests must go through the government’s cumbersome approval process. That takes months. Or years.

Hundreds of labs had the ability to test for the virus, but they weren’t allowed to test.

As a result, doctors can’t be sure exactly where outbreaks are happening. Instead of quarantining just sick people, state governors are forcing entire states to go on lockdown.

At the same time, many people who show no symptoms do have COVID-19. Without widespread testing, we don’t know who they are, and so the symptomless sick are infecting others.

A few weeks ago, the government finally gave up its monopoly and said it was relaxing the rules. There would be quick “emergency use authorizations” replacing the months- or years-long wait for approval. But even that took so long that few independent tests were approved.

So President Donald Trump waived those rules, too.

[KierkegaardMAN]

One hopes that lessons be learned on many levels. Just thank our Good God a leftist
isn’t occupying the WH. The market would be south of 10k. The bread lines set up
and civil war on the horizon.

[wny]

up until a month ago, in NY state, if an evil billionaire donated $100-million to a hospital to fund the construction of a new wing with a couple of hundred beds, the hospital would need to get permission from the state. the state DOH determines if those beds are needed

[Prince of Space]

I’m a 66 yo woman with several main symptoms —cough, intermittent low grade fever, and fatigue — but I was told to stay home to recover. No test for me because I’m not rich or important enough. Meanwhile, my hypochondriac DIL is worried sick that if I have it, I might have given it to her, and she’s now infected all her loved ones. Sigh.