current status of testing kits per nation

Trump would be the last person to make that argument.

https://www.factcheck.org/2016/05/trumps-made-in-the-u-s-a-spin/
“When asked why he doesn’t lead by example and have more of his products from the Donald J. Trump Collection made in the U.S., Trump wrongly responded, “They don’t even make this stuff here.” They do.”

 

Italy has had a huge influx of Chinese migrants in recent years. (It's not the Catholics.)

 

I wouldnt say a total grouping of .3 is not huge but yet there are far more people from China in Italy now then most people would think.

 

No it wouldn't, the response would be the same. Stay home. Call a doctor or hospital when you have life threatening symptoms, such as pneumonia. There is no treatment for the flu or COVID-19, only the symptoms can be treated.

 

Not so. We’re dealing with a new epidemic. There is value in diagnosing cases. Or maybe you know more than medical professionals like so many in this thread?

 

HHS disagrees with all the experts in this thread saying there is no reason to test.

"Early, rapid diagnosis is essential for clinicians and their patients to treat infections appropriately and take immediate action to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19," said BARDA Director Rick Bright, Ph.D. "While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and our nation's public health laboratories are making valiant efforts in testing and surveillance of coronavirus infections, these labs could become overwhelmed as the number of suspected cases grows. Rapid, high-throughput tests are critical to provide quick results for more Americans and to aid the nationwide public health response."

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.hh...-throughput-covid-19-diagnostic-test.html?amp

 

It's just common sense that people went to China for family reunions and then went back home (to Italy, the U.S. or other countries they migrated to), not knowing they were carrying the virus. Three million people left the Wuhan and the Hubei Province right before the shutdown.

The Chinese in Italy are concentrated in Milan, the city hit hardest.

 

Anyone interested in some facts?

 

I've been following the Johns Hopkins map which has us at 791 cases and 27 deaths (23 in Washington state). Things are changing rapidly with testing now available in every state.

Still, to your point. Can you imagine if the news covered the flu back-to-back and wall-to-wall, announcing 10's of thousands of new cases per day and 100's or 1000's of flu deaths every day? People would be sitting at home with the curtains closed and going outside only with masks on for essentials!

News can hype up anything they want. Gun deaths, flu deaths, coronavirus. Whatever they decide to "talk" to us about is what we talk about. We've pretty darned gullible, aren't we?

 

Since the symptoms are very similar, and the average layperson would feel like crap either way, but CV doesn't display any symptoms for a number of days, a test kit should be pretty much the second step, not the first. For anybody.

 

This is fake news for the US.

 

So back to my post. Should anyone who is over 60 be tested, regardless of probable exposure?

 

Oops...we just got another leap over 800 cases in the U.S. as results of the tests get reported.

Johns Hopkins' tracker for the U.S.

 

So why are we even seeing work on tests if there is no reason for them?

 

No one said there is no reason. We are transitioning from containment to mitigation, but "containment" is not going to stop. You will get tested if you have symptoms and are negative for a cold or the flu. If you test positive, then you will be asked every place you've been for the last 2 weeks and everyone you had contact with. All the people you name will get a knock on the door....and will likely get asked to quarantine themselves for 14 days or will get tested if they have symptoms. So say you get it, and 2 of your contacts have it, then 2 of each of their contacts have it and so on and so on. That's mainly what the tests are being used for right now...surveillance of most likely sources and spreaders.

 

Do you not get it?
The at risk people are going to be innoculated whether people continue about their daily lives or not. It's in the community, spreading exponentially via asymptomatic individuals.

Why do you think doing something stupid is better than going about our daily lives?

 

Tests without quarantine are a waste.
The goal is to get the spread rate less than 1.
Will Trump start locking things down?
If not we will look like Italy times six.

 

So then you’re saying we need the tests for the same reason I’ve been saying this whole time? Is that right?

 

You don't have to be showing symptoms to show positive on a test and testing is just one part of controlling the spread not the end all.

 

Does anyone know anyone who has had this disease?

 

Inoculated with what? We’re at best a year away from any of that.

What stupid thing do you think I’m proposing?

 

I didn't say there was no reason for them. Those that believe they were exposed to the virus should be tested. Those who do not believe they were exposed don't need to have them unless they exhibit symptoms.

 

Another quote from the same link.

"There are currently no approved diagnostics, vaccines or treatments for COVID-19 infections. However, the FDA issued emergency use authorizations of diagnostic tests from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other authorized public health laboratories, and for New York State's Wadsworth diagnostics test. In addition, on February 29, FDA also issued a new policy to help expedite the availability of diagnostics"

 

Hey, yet another post that agrees with what I have been saying this whole time.
Did you just see my name and assume I couldn’t possibly be saying something you’d agree with?

 

It's up for the state to request them. My state and 8 others just got their state labs set up this week to be able to do the test and report findings.