02-28-2020, 09:26 AM
(02-28-2020, 08:04 AM)Goose Wrote: OF, before you conclude that a "drive up" testing approach is a good idea, it might be wise to consider that a limited number of testing kits are currently available. If they get consumed by people who are "just being safe" but have a low probability of being positive we will really have a problem if this outbreak becomes widespread. The capacity to manufacture these kits is also limited. We can't just order a bunch of them and have them show up in a week. The CDC is certainly being cautious about using them up, but that may be because they know we don't have "enough" and can't get "enough" soon.
If it was hard to test, there is no way these other countries could be doing tests on the scale they are. I didn't say everyone should be tested. There should be some criteria. Moreover, the point of doing widespread testing is for surveillance, to get a picture for what is happening in terms of community spread. It is not to identify every virus carrier per se, but to understand what is happening for planning purposes. Without widespread testing we are blind.