Reality shows shortfalls of Trump’s testing claims

WASHINGTON — Here are some snapshots from what President Donald Trump describes as the nation with the “best testing in the world” for the coronavirus:

In Sun Belt states where the virus is surging, lines of cars with people seeking tests snake for hours in the beating sun, often yielding results so far after the fact that they’re useless.

In Pittsburgh, adults who are afraid they’ve been exposed to the coronavirus are being asked to skip testing if they can quarantine at home for 14 days to help reduce delays and backlogs.

In Hawaii, the governor will wait another month to lift a two-week quarantine on visitors because of test supply shortages and delays that potential visitors are facing in getting results.

“Testing has been a challenge everywhere,” says Utah Republican Gov. Gary Herbert.

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

The long lines and processing delays are contributing to the virus’ spread and upending plans to reopen stores, schools and other activities that are vital to the economic rebound that Trump himself is intent on bringing about.

“We have the best testing in the world,” the president insisted Tuesday. He falsely claimed “the cases are created because of the fact that we do tremendous testing.”

But U.S. testing on a per-capita basis lags other countries that have done a far better job of controlling their outbreaks. And state, local and federal officials are warning of the 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, the window to begin contact tracing and prevent additional infections has essentially closed.

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

The Trump administration plays down the problem.

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