Posted on 04/04/2020 8:40:35 AM PDT by rintintin
In the face of today’s global health pandemic, we are experiencing a time of tremendous uncertainty. As the former CEO of a molecular diagnostic laboratory in Cambridge, Massachusetts, I believe advanced diagnostic technologies are ready to address the challenges we face.
Today, Germany is testing between 360,000 to 500,000 citizens for viral infection weekly — tracking the spread of the coronavirus early. This enables self-quarantine for those who test positive and allows healthy individuals to move back to society.
The German Health Ministry is investing 500 million euros to create a database to link hospitals with labs to provide information. In April, they will begin testing for viral immunity — at a scale of 100,000 people a week.
Here, U.S. communities are still asking, “Who is COVID-19 free? Who has antibodies to protect against the virus?”
These two questions must be answered to move the country past our current crisis. As newspapers report, federal and state public health agencies are struggling to move community testing forward.
Unlike Germany, our federal and state governments have spent the last decade spending on other things than meeting the needs of critically ill patients and setting up comprehensive testing programs.
But, as we have seen over the last few weeks, the federal Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid are able to evaluate and approve new diagnostic testing technologies. These new technologies will produce testing results on-site in less than an hour. Working with these latest diagnostic technologies, we should consider another path forward.
(Excerpt) Read more at providencejournal.com ...
“ Unlike Germany, our federal and state governments have spent the last decade spending on other things than meeting the needs of critically ill patients and setting up comprehensive testing programs.”
They have been spending on graft and corruption in the trillions.
Maybe this will be another opportunity for Trump.
He can point to the waste and that with all that we spend, we still don’t have what we need in a crisis because of graft, etc.
Maybe this will be another opportunity for Trump.“
Maybe. So far he hasn’t criticized them, even backs them/covers for them. He even claimed anybody could tested who wanted to be. Utter bs.
So only people with the antibodies will be allowed to go back to work?
The virus will have run it’s course before testing could be ramped up to that scale.
We are NOT going to antibody test 350 million people. That’s ludicrous.
Can you imagine being told you don’t have antibodies so you can’t earn money to keep yourself out of bankruptcy? I’d be hunting down Wuflu Wary.
In Taiwan anybody who tests negative for covid-19 (and who hasn’t been in close contact with someone who has it ) can go to work. That’s the reason for massive testing: identify who has an active case, and let everybody elselive their lives, work their jobs
In US we’ve chosen instead to enforce house arrest on all our citizens, not even knowing if they have the virus or not
Mary, dang it.
We get food to 350 million people, and we do it several times a day.
Great, but why are they telling me? I have no control over the speed of testing. Like when Fauci comes out and says “we need to improve testing and tracing.” Well, get on with it, do your job.
I was shocked when he said be prepared for two very bad weeks.
He’s usually positive and I thought it could have been said better.
I’m not thrilled with the 2 trillion infrastructure because it will just go to graft and corruptions in govt and unions.
And complimenting de blasio and calling sharpton.
Just odd lately
I think maybe he’s doing all these things to not give them any ammunition until the election and if that’s the case, it’s very smart.
Can you imagine being told you don’t have antibodies so you can’t earn money to keep yourself out of bankruptcy? I
Right now, NOBODY’S allowed to work or keep out of bankruptcy , except for a few “essential” businesses. Is that what you prefer?
OK, I’m a little confused about how we let people who test negative go back to work. If I test negative today, it doesn’t mean I will test negative tomorrow. Do I have to get tested every day? And how many times per day?
“Right now, NOBODY’S allowed to work or keep out of bankruptcy , except for a few “essential” businesses. Is that what you prefer?”
That’s a logical extrapolation.
Forcing people to subject themselves to medical testing before they’re allowed to live as free citizens is a scenario I’d expect to see in Nazi Germany ... which probably explains why the Germans were so receptive to it.
Trump needs to bring in public health experts from Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea. Let Fauci and Birx step aside
It's a small snapshot in time.
Forcing people to subject themselves to medical testing before they’re allowed to live as free citizens is a scenarIo”
Right now we’re all living under house arrest, or like WWII internees, because we don’t know who does or doesn’t have the virus. I guess you call that “freedom”?
How about The Netherlands or Sweden?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.