In a recent letter to Vice President Mike Pence, two U.S. Senators and seven members of Congress from Washington State outlined the crucial need to provide “comprehensive, national strategy for COVID-19 testing.”
The letter cites experts anticipating a minimum 500,000 tests per day nationwide to effectively monitor coronavirus. At the current time, the United States is running approximately 150,000 tests per day nationwide.
“A large portion of this shortfall stems from national shortages in supplies like swabs, reagent, transport media, and personal protective equipment health care providers and laboratorians need to obtain and handle samples; only the federal government is equipped to fully address that shortfall,” said the letter.
Read the full letter on U.S. Senator Patty Murray’s website.
Photo by UChicago Medicine
