Coronavirus: Cleveland clinic promises test results within hours while states across US fail to show urgency
As the United States government comes under fire for delaying initiation of testing for the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), health officials across the nation and the world are warning that the country needs to be braced for a tougher situation.
At a recent press conference alongside Governor Mike DeWine (R), Ohio Department of Health Director Amy Action said that the virus is spreading in the community in the state and she estimates that at least 1 percent of the population has the virus.
"We know now, just the fact of community spread, says that at least 1 percent, at the very least, 1 percent of our population is carrying this virus in Ohio today," Acton said. "We have 11.7 million people. So the math is over 100,000. So that just gives you a sense of how this virus spreads and is spreading quickly."
This is an alarming figure in itself, however, with the current status of testing for the infection in the country, it poses a worrying situation.
Across the country, states are testing fewer than 100 people a day while the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) tested just 77 people this week. People are calling out the government for its lack of urgency in getting tests widely across the population.
Recently, Cleveland Clinic announced that it had developed a test for the COVID-19 virus which will give results in about eight hours. Cleveland Clinic has also announced that they will be carrying out onsite testing free of charge.
Meanwhile, people have taken to social media to talk about their experience of going for testing or what happens when they do get tested. Users are tweeting that they are being turned away if they are not exhibiting symptoms or have not come in contact with those who have traveled overseas.
Dr Anthony Fauci from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases admitted that the country is not ready for what is required. He said, "The idea of anybody getting it [testing] easily, the way people in other countries are doing it, we're not set up for that. I think it should be, but we're not."
Fewer than 10,000 people have been tested in the United States, meanwhile, South Korea has tested more than 210,000 people and is testing nearly 20,000 people every day, while in the UK, more than 29,700 people have been tested, and more than 1,000 tests are being carried out per day.
Those who are being tested have also been given faulty results. The United States refused to use a test developed by the World Health Organization (WHO). The test used in the country was developed by the CDC, however, there were manufacturing defects with the initial tests leading to inconclusive results.
One of the ways to combat this is to introduce drive-through testing centers - as Germany and South Korea have done. The most obvious way, however, is the implementation of universal healthcare. While testing is currently free, treatment costs are worrying many.
Italy serves as a cautionary tale for the country. More than 15,000 have tested positive and the virus has claimed more than 1,000 lives. The country had the highest death toll in a single day and is now on lockdown. Whether the United States will catch up or manage to circumvent Italy's situation will not take too long to know.