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Coronavirus Roundup: Why We don't have enough Covid test kits Yet
Popular MechanicsThere's a massive shortage of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) test kits in the U.S.... But it didn't have to be this way. Back in January and February‐when cases of the deadly disease began aggressively circulating outside of China‐diagnostics already existed in places like Wuhan, where the pandemic began. Those tests followed World Health Organization (WHO) test guidelines, which the U.S. decided to eschew. Instead, the CDC created its own in-depth diagnostics that could identify not only COVID-19, but a host of SARS-like coronaviruses.  ...the twenty first century equivalent of bubonic plague, only instead of killing off a third of the population of Europe it kills 3.4 percent of those who notice they have it. It seems to be fond of the elderly, especially Iranian politicians and holy men...[like requiring a fighter jet to coordinate Command and Control, do recon and carry 1000 lb bombs] Then, disaster struck: When the CDC sent tests to labs during the first week of February, those labs discovered that while the kits did detect COVID-19, they also produced false positives when checking for other viruses. As the CDC went back to the drawing board to develop yet more tests, precious time ticked away. "I think that we should have had testing more widely available about a month earlier," Dr. Carl Fichtenbaum, professor of clinical medicine at the University of Cincinnati's School of Medicine, tells Popular Mechanics. "That would have been more appropriate so that we could have identified people earlier on and used some of the mitigating strategies that we're using now." As the spread of Coronavirus continues to escalate in the U.S., private institutions like academic research hospitals are scrambling in a mad dash to come up with more test kits. And there is hope: the first human clinical trials for a possible vaccine have begun today. [PUBLISH.TWITTER]
Thousands of MSC Meraviglia cruise passengers are allowed to disembark in Miami without medical screening [Daily Mail, where America gets its news] .. despite a previous guest testing positive for coronavirus days earlier Millions of bar and restaurant workers face joblessness and poverty as well-wishers try to raise funds for them after shutdown in four states, NYC and LA American Airlines flight from Dallas to Nashville is delayed by EIGHT HOURS after a passenger was arrested for joking about having coronavirus - with spooked crew members then refusing to fly In France, more than half of coronavirus patients in intensive care are under 60, suggesting it's not just the elderly at risk Ohio to order polls closed over coronavirus 'emergency,' governor says [FoxNews] Gov. Mike DeWine on Monday night announced his state's health director will order Ohio's polls to be closed Tuesday "as a health emergency" over the spread of the coronavirus, a dramatic move just hours before the state's scheduled primaries. DeWine had recommended that the primaries be postponed, but a county judge had denied the request Monday evening. "During this time when we face an unprecedented public health crisis, to conduct an election tomorrow would force poll workers and voters to place themselves at an unacceptable health risk of contracting coronavirus. As such, Health Director Dr. Amy Acton will order the polls closed as a health emergency. While the polls will be closed tomorrow, Secretary of State Frank LaRose will seek a remedy through the courts to extend voting options so that every voter who wants to vote will be granted that opportunity," DeWine said in a statement. Posted by: lord garth 2020-03-17 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=566112 |