[magnus]

I don't think that expanded testing earlier would have caught these specific cases.  But insufficient attention has been paid to how stupid the CDC's guidelines were.  At first it was only people who had been in China (or maybe just Wuhan?).  Then it was expanded to people directly exposed to China travellers.  I think it wasn't until March when tests were made available to everyone.  And at each step, CDC lagged in updating its policies until a number of cases popped up that did not meet the current criteria.  When California's first (at the time) community-acquired case was discovered in Sacramento, it was only after doctors at the hospital pleaded with CDC for 5 days to get a test.

When the all of the failings of the federal government are tallied, I hope the incredibly restrictive approach to testing gets the attention it deserves.

Agreed that the CDC has performed horribly.  Even by March when tests were supposed to be available to everyone, most tests were still only being administered to those showing symptoms...whether it was because of the CDC's ever changing "guidelines" or to accommodate limited testing supplies, I do not know.

If you then add the CDC's evolving stance on masks..."they will cause more harm than good" (how hard is it to teach people to wear them properly...or at least in such a way that would not increase their chances of exposure)..."bandanas can be used in a medical setting absent proper PPE" (this just allowed hospitals to lower the urgency of finding PPEs, thereby further harming healthcare workers)...the CDC's post mortem will not be short on action items. =(

[magnus]

I don't think that expanded testing earlier would have caught these specific cases.  But insufficient attention has been paid to how stupid the CDC's guidelines were.  At first it was only people who had been in China (or maybe just Wuhan?).  Then it was expanded to people directly exposed to China travellers.  I think it wasn't until March when tests were made available to everyone.  And at each step, CDC lagged in updating its policies until a number of cases popped up that did not meet the current criteria.  When California's first (at the time) community-acquired case was discovered in Sacramento, it was only after doctors at the hospital pleaded with CDC for 5 days to get a test.

When the all of the failings of the federal government are tallied, I hope the incredibly restrictive approach to testing gets the attention it deserves.

Agreed that the CDC has performed horribly.  Even by March when tests were supposed to be available to everyone, most tests were still only being administered to those showing symptoms...whether it was because of the CDC's ever changing "guidelines" or to accommodate limited testing supplies, I do not know.

If you then add the CDC's evolving stance on masks..."they will cause more harm than good" (how hard is it to teach people to wear them properly...or at least in such a way that would not increase their chances of exposure)..."bandanas can be used in a medical setting absent proper PPE" (this just allowed hospitals to lower the urgency of finding PPEs, thereby further harming healthcare workers)...the CDC's post mortem will not be short on action items. =(