The Daily The State of Testing
Apr 28, 2020
Katie Thomas, a business reporter for The New York Times specializing in healthcare, dives into the complexities of coronavirus testing. She highlights the contrasting effectiveness of different countries in managing the virus through widespread testing. The discussion addresses the complications in antibody testing, including accuracy issues and the reliance on private solutions. Thomas sheds light on the fragmented U.S. healthcare system that complicates testing strategies and emphasizes the crucial role of effective testing in safely reopening the economy.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Testing Crucial for Reopening
- Governors need testing to reopen economies safely, like firefighters need hoses.
- Widespread testing helps monitor infection spikes and measure virus control success.
Two Types of Tests
- Diagnostic tests detect active virus presence, indicating current infection.
- Antibody tests detect past infection, suggesting potential immunity, though not definitively confirmed.
Early Testing Bottleneck
- Early diagnostic testing in the US faced setbacks due to a CDC manufacturing problem and FDA approval delays.
- This created a bottleneck, limiting testing capacity, especially in February.
