States: Trump administration’s approach to testing chaotic

Washington — The Trump administration’s erratic approach to testing for the novel coronavirus has left state leaders and commercial laboratories confused, frustrated and unprepared for the fall, Democrats on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions found in a report released Thursday.

Labs and state officials said they were unsure who in the federal government to contact about supply issues, including whether the Federal Emergency Management Agency or Department of Health and Human Services was in charge.

“It is increasingly unlikely the nation will be prepared with sufficient testing capacity to meet the health and economic needs of the country by late summer or even into the fall,” write the authors, led by Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash. “Disturbingly, several interviewees, including large clinical labs, reported that despite the Administration’s assurances, they did not see how the United States would reach even a million tests per day by the fall.”

The Trump administration this week began a temporary testing effort in three communities where cases are surging, an experiment to try to tamp down rising numbers of cases and hospitalizations.

“Under the leadership of President Trump, the United States has done more than double the number of tests of any country in the world,” White House spokesman Judd Deere said in a statement. “We are the global leader in testing capacity and continue to work in partnership with governors to ensure they have enough capacity to be open safely.”

The Senate Democrats’ report is based on interviews with state health officials, clinical laboratories, test and equipment manufacturers and industry associations.