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       #Post#: 15872--------------------------------------------------
       Trump Vows to Keep Holding Rallies, Despite CPAC Attendee’s Coro
       navirus Case
       By: Surly1 Date: March 8, 2020, 7:23 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Who says there's no good news?
       Trump Vows to Keep Holding Rallies, Despite CPAC Attendee’s
       Coronavirus Case
  HTML https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/03/trump-vows-more-rallies-despite-cpac-coronavirus-case.html
       [html]<div class="metadata singleline"><span itemprop="author"
       itemscope="" itemtype="
  HTML http://schema.org/Person"<br
       />class="byline"><a
       href="safari-reader://nymag.com/author/chas-danner/"
       rel="author"><span>Chas Danner </span></a></span><span
       class="delimiter"></span><time
       datetime="2020-03-07T22:23:12.683-05:00"
       itemprop="datePublished" data-editable="publishedDate"
       class="date"><span>Mar. 7,
       2020</span></time></div>&#13;<header></header>&#13;<section>&#13
       ;<div
       data-editable="content"
       itemprop="articleBody">&#13;<div><picture><source
       media="(min-resolution: 192dpi) and (min-width: 1180px),
       (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2) and (min-width: 1180px)"
       srcset="
  HTML https://pixel.nymag.com/imgs/daily/intelligencer/2020/03/07/07-president-trump-cpac.w700.h467.2x.jpg<br
       />2x" /><source media="(min-width: 1180px) "
       srcset="
  HTML https://pixel.nymag.com/imgs/daily/intelligencer/2020/03/07/07-president-trump-cpac.w700.h467.jpg"<br
       />/><source media="(min-resolution: 192dpi) and (min-width:
       768px), (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2) and (min-width:
       768px)"
       srcset="
  HTML https://pixel.nymag.com/imgs/daily/intelligencer/2020/03/07/07-president-trump-cpac.w700.h467.2x.jpg<br
       />2x" /><source media="(min-width: 768px)"
       srcset="
  HTML https://pixel.nymag.com/imgs/daily/intelligencer/2020/03/07/07-president-trump-cpac.w700.h467.jpg"<br
       />/><source media="(min-resolution: 192dpi),
       (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2)"
       srcset="
  HTML https://pixel.nymag.com/imgs/daily/intelligencer/2020/03/07/07-president-trump-cpac.w700.h700.2x.jpg"<br
       />/><img
       src="
  HTML https://pixel.nymag.com/imgs/daily/intelligencer/2020/03/07/07-president-trump-cpac.w700.h700.jpg"<br
       />data-src="
  HTML https://pixel.nymag.com/imgs/daily/intelligencer/2020/03/07/07-president-trump-cpac.w700.h700.jpg"<br
       />data-content-img="" alt="" class="extendsBeyondTextColumn"
       /></picture>&#13;<div>&#13;<p>There may soon come a point when
       Trump&rsquo;s projected confidence risks the health of his most
       faithful supporters. <span>Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty
       Images</span></p>&#13;</div>&#13;</div>&#13;<p
       data-editable="text"
       data-uri="nymag.com/intelligencer/_components/clay-paragraph/ins
       tances/ck7ig4fz901szkly6s2c8wnqe@published"
       data-word-count="97">President Trump has been <a
       href="
  HTML https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/03/trump-coronavirus-mission-accomplished-kudlow-contained.html">repeatedly<br
       />downplaying</a> the threat of the coronavirus, including <a
       href="
  HTML https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/03/trump-coronavirus-testing-as-perfect-as-ukraine-call.html">at<br
       />the CDC on Friday</a> when he insisted he was not worried abou
       t
       the risk the virus could pose at his political rallies or any
       other large public gatherings. He then reaffirmed that on
       Saturday &mdash; after the American Conservative Union (ACU)
       announced that an attendee of the organization&rsquo;s recent
       CPAC event had tested positive for COVID-19. President Trump,
       Vice-President Pence, and numerous other senior Trump
       administration officials and Trump-orbiting celebrities went to
       the multi-day event, which was attended by thousands of
       conservatives from around the country.</p>&#13;<p
       data-editable="text"
       data-uri="nymag.com/intelligencer/_components/clay-paragraph/ins
       tances/ck7ig5csa00193f67dr7vtz1c@published"
       data-word-count="78">In response to the report, a White House
       statement noted they were aware of the case, but that &ldquo;at
       this time there is no indication that either President Trump or
       Vice-President Pence met with or were in close proximity to the
       attendee.&rdquo; A CPAC statement released Saturday night
       concurred, explaining that the attendee was exposed to the virus
       prior to attending the event, did not interact with Trump or
       Pence, and never even went to the event&rsquo;s main hall.
       However:</p>&#13;<aside
       data-uri="nymag.com/intelligencer/_components/clay-tweet/instanc
       es/ck7ig9cru00253f674xa59jv8@published"
       data-editable="default">&#13;<div class="tweet-wrapper"
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       data-twitter-event-id="0" class="SandboxRoot
       env-bp-350">&#13;<div class="EmbeddedTweet EmbeddedTweet--cta
       js-clickToOpenTarget"
       data-click-to-open-target="
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       />data-iframe-title="Twitter Tweet" data-scribe="page:tweet"
       id="twitter-widget-0" lang="en"
       data-twitter-event-id="3">&#13;<div
       class="EmbeddedTweet-tweetContainer">&#13;<div
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       />data-tweet-id="1236446922250096646"
       data-scribe="section:subject">&#13;<div class="Tweet-header"><a
       class="TweetAuthor-avatar &#32;Identity-avatar u-linkBlend"
       data-scribe="element:user_link"
       href="
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       aria-label="Colby
       Itkowitz (screen name: ColbyItkowitz)"><img class="Avatar"
       data-scribe="element:avatar"
       data-src-2x="
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       data-scribe="component:author">&#13;<div
       class="TweetAuthor-nameScreenNameContainer"><span
       class="TweetAuthor-decoratedName"><span class="TweetAuthor-name
       Identity-name customisable-highlight" title="Colby Itkowitz"
       data-scribe="element:name">Colby Itkowitz</span><span
       class="TweetAuthor-verifiedBadge"
       data-scribe="element:verified_badge"></span></span>&#13;<div
       class="Icon Icon--verified " aria-label="Verified Account"
       title="Verified Account" role="img"></div>&#13;<span
       class="TweetAuthor-decoratedName"><span
       class="TweetAuthor-verifiedBadge"
       data-scribe="element:verified_badge"><b
       class="u-hiddenVisually">&#38;#10004;</b></span></span><span
       class="TweetAuthor-screenName Identity-screenName"
       title="@ColbyItkowitz" data-scribe="element:screen_name"
       dir="ltr">@ColbyItkowitz</span></div>&#13;</div>&#13;<div
       class="Tweet-brand">&#13;<div class="Icon Icon--twitter "
       aria-label="View on Twitter" title="View on Twitter"
       role="presentation"></div>&#13;</div>&#13;</div>&#13;<div
       class="Tweet-body e-entry-content"
       data-scribe="component:tweet">&#13;<div class="Tweet-target
       js-inViewportScribingTarget"></div>&#13;<p class="Tweet-text
       e-entry-title" lang="en" dir="ltr">CPAC chairman Matt Schlapp
       tells me he interacted with attendee who has tested positive for
       coronavirus. While the timeline is unknown, Schlapp shook
       Trump's hand on stage the last day of the conference. <a
       href="
  HTML https://t.co/lR5DfHiy8c"
       rel="nofollow noopener" dir="ltr"
       data-expanded-url="
  HTML https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/03/07/coronavirus-continues-its-rapid-spread-confounding-efforts-by-global-leaders/"<br
       />class="link customisable" target="_blank"
       title="
  HTML https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/03/07/coronavirus-continues-its-rapid-spread-confounding-efforts-by-global-leaders/"<br
       />data-scribe="element:url"><span
  HTML class="u-hiddenVisually">&#91;url=https://www&#93;https://www&#91;/url&#93;.</span>washingtonpost.com/health/2020/03<span
       class="u-hiddenVisually">/07/coronavirus-continues-its-rapid-spr
       ead-confounding-efforts-by-global-leaders/
       </span>&hellip;</a></p>&#13;<div class="Tweet-card">&#13;<div
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       TwitterCardsGrid-col--spacerBottom CardContent">&#13;<div
       class="SummaryCard-image TwitterCardsGrid-col--12">&#13;<div
       class="tcu-imageContainer tcu-imageAspect--2to1">&#13;<div
       class="tcu-imageWrapper tcu-image-1236446922250096646
       js-cspForcedStyle" data-style="background-image:
       url(&#91;url=
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       class="SummaryCard-contentContainer
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       TwitterCardsGrid-ltr">&#13;<h2 class="TwitterCard-title
       js-cardClick tcu-textEllipse--multiline" dir="ltr">Coronavirus
       continues its rapid spread, confounding efforts by global
       leaders</h2>&#13;<span class="u-block
       TwitterCardsGrid-col--spacerTop SummaryCard-destination"
       dir="ltr">washingtonpost.com</span></div>&#13;</div>&#13;</div>&
       #13;</div>&#13;</div>&#13;</div>&#13;<div
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       v
       class="TweetInfo-timeGeo"><a class="u-linkBlend u-url
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       data-datetime="2020-03-08T00:21:32+0000"
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       />class="dt-updated" datetime="2020-03-08T00:21:32+0000"
       pubdate="" title="Time posted: March 08, 2020 00:21:32
       (UTC)">8:21 PM - Mar 7, 2020</time></a></div>&#13;<div
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       class="u-hiddenVisually">Twitter Ads info and
       privacy</span></a></div>&#13;</div>&#13;</div>&#13;</blockquote>
       &#13;</div>&#13;<div
       class="CallToAction-icon"
       data-scribe="element:conversation_icon">&#13;<div class="Icon
       Icon--replyCTA " aria-label="View conversation on Twitter"
       title="View conversation on Twitter"
       role="img"></div>&#13;</div>&#13;<div class="CallToAction-text"
       data-scribe="element:conversation_text">10.1K people are talking
       about this</div>&#13;</div>&#13;</div>&#13;<div
       class="resize-sensor">&#13;<div
       class="resize-sensor-expand">&#13;<div></div>&#13;</div>&#13;<di
       v
       class="resize-sensor-shrink">&#13;<div></div>&#13;</div>&#13;</d
       iv>&#13;</div>&#13;</twitter-widget></div>&#13;</aside>&#13;<p
       data-editable="text"
       data-uri="nymag.com/intelligencer/_components/clay-paragraph/ins
       tances/ck7ig5cv3001b3f67mc7huidl@published"
       data-word-count="57">&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not concerned at
       all,&rdquo; Trump <a
       href="
  HTML https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/trump-says-campaign-rallies-wont-stop-over-coronavirus-fears">told<br
       />reporters</a> on Saturday night at his Mar-a-Lago resort in
       Florida, insisting he was not planning to scale back his
       campaign rallies because of the coronavirus, and that he was not
       worried about the virus having reached Washington, D.C. (The
       District&rsquo;s first confirmed COVID-19 case was announced
       earlier in the day.)</p>&#13;<p data-editable="text"
       data-uri="nymag.com/intelligencer/_components/clay-paragraph/ins
       tances/ck7ig5cwe001c3f67mjwdrl65@published"
       data-word-count="6">&ldquo;We&rsquo;ll hold tremendous
       rallies,&rdquo; said Trump.</p>&#13;<p data-editable="text"
       data-uri="nymag.com/intelligencer/_components/clay-paragraph/ins
       tances/ck7ig5cz2001e3f67s9fl0rlc@published"
       data-word-count="44">The annual Conservative Political Action
       Conference was held from February 26-29 at the Gaylord National
       Resort & Convention Center in Maryland just outside of
       Washington, D.C. The ACU said that the attendee with COVID-19
       tested positive in New Jersey, where he remains hospitalized and
       isolated.</p>&#13;<aside
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       es/ck7ig9r72002h3f67f5zwa5vp@published"
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       class="TweetAuthor-avatar &#32;Identity-avatar u-linkBlend"
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       />/></a>&#13;<div class="TweetAuthor js-inViewportScribingTarget
       "
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       Identity-name customisable-highlight" title="ACU"
       data-scribe="element:name">ACU</span><span
       class="TweetAuthor-verifiedBadge"
       data-scribe="element:verified_badge"></span></span>&#13;<div
       class="Icon Icon--verified " aria-label="Verified Account"
       title="Verified Account" role="img"></div>&#13;<span
       class="TweetAuthor-decoratedName"><span
       class="TweetAuthor-verifiedBadge"
       data-scribe="element:verified_badge"><b
       class="u-hiddenVisually">&#38;#10004;</b></span></span><span
       class="TweetAuthor-screenName Identity-screenName"
       title="@ACUConservative" data-scribe="element:screen_name"
       dir="ltr">@ACUConservative</span></div>&#13;</div>&#13;<div
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       aria-label="View on Twitter" title="View on Twitter"
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       class="Tweet-body e-entry-content"
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       js-inViewportScribingTarget"></div>&#13;<p class="Tweet-text
       e-entry-title" lang="en" dir="ltr">Important Health Notification
       for CPAC 2020 participants and attendees.</p>&#13;<div
       class="Tweet-card">&#13;<article class="MediaCard&#13; &#32;
       &#32; &#32; &#32; &#32; &#13; &#32; &#32; &#32; &#32; &#32;
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       data-datetime="2020-03-07T22:15:09+0000"
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       />class="dt-updated" datetime="2020-03-07T22:15:09+0000"
       pubdate="" title="Time posted: March 07, 2020 22:15:09
       (UTC)">6:15 PM - Mar 7, 2020</time></a></div>&#13;<div
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       privacy</span></a></div>&#13;</div>&#13;</div>&#13;</blockquote>
       &#13;</div>&#13;<div
       class="CallToAction-icon"
       data-scribe="element:conversation_icon">&#13;<div class="Icon
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       role="img"></div>&#13;</div>&#13;<div class="CallToAction-text"
       data-scribe="element:conversation_text">2,389 people are talking
       about this</div>&#13;</div>&#13;</div>&#13;<div
       class="resize-sensor">&#13;<div
       class="resize-sensor-expand">&#13;<div></div>&#13;</div>&#13;<di
       v
       class="resize-sensor-shrink">&#13;<div></div>&#13;</div>&#13;</d
       iv>&#13;</div>&#13;</twitter-widget></div>&#13;</aside>&#13;<p
       data-editable="text"
       data-uri="nymag.com/intelligencer/_components/clay-paragraph/ins
       tances/ck7ig5d0b001f3f67iphp0jf2@published"
       data-word-count="36">&ldquo;Our children, spouses, extended
       family, and friends attended CPAC,&rdquo; the statement read.
       &ldquo;During this time, we need to remain calm, listen to our
       health care professionals and support each other. We send this
       message in that spirit.&rdquo;</p>&#13;<p data-editable="text"
       data-uri="nymag.com/intelligencer/_components/clay-paragraph/ins
       tances/ck7ig5d1z001g3f67uxto3jja@published"
       data-word-count="64">Even if the attendee did not expose anyone
       at the conference to the coronavirus and Trump isn&rsquo;t
       worried about the risk, the case may bring home the reality of
       the coronavirus to others at CPAC. So far there is at least
       anecdotal evidence that some Trump supporters have not been
       taking the virus seriously, in line with what Trump has said
       about the outbreak.</p>&#13;<aside
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       aria-label="View on Twitter" title="View on Twitter"
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       js-inViewportScribingTarget"></div>&#13;<p class="Tweet-text
       e-entry-title" lang="en" dir="ltr">Overheard from the person in
       front of me on line at CPAC last week: &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t
       believe anything the CDC says about this virus. It&rsquo;s full
       of deep staters who want to use this to create a recession to
       bring down the President.&rdquo;</p>&#13;<div
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       />class="dt-updated" datetime="2020-03-07T18:08:57+0000"
       pubdate="" title="Time posted: March 07, 2020 18:08:57
       (UTC)">2:08 PM - Mar 7, 2020</time></a></div>&#13;<div
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       &#13;</div>&#13;<div
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       Icon--replyCTA " aria-label="View conversation on Twitter"
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       role="img"></div>&#13;</div>&#13;<div class="CallToAction-text"
       data-scribe="element:conversation_text">6,743 people are talking
       about this</div>&#13;</div>&#13;</div>&#13;<div
       class="resize-sensor">&#13;<div
       class="resize-sensor-expand">&#13;<div></div>&#13;</div>&#13;<di
       v
       class="resize-sensor-shrink">&#13;<div></div>&#13;</div>&#13;</d
       iv>&#13;</div>&#13;</twitter-widget></div>&#13;</aside>&#13;<p
       data-editable="text"
       data-uri="nymag.com/intelligencer/_components/clay-paragraph/ins
       tances/ck7ig5d4g001i3f677g700cdk@published"
       data-word-count="55">It&rsquo;s also not totally clear what
       extra precautions Trump&rsquo;s staff and the Secret Service are
       taking to protect the president from exposure to COVID-19 at
       public events, particularly when public health officials around
       the country are saying that without more widespread testing,
       it&rsquo;s not possible to know how far the virus has spread
       within the country.</p>&#13;<p data-editable="text"
       data-uri="nymag.com/intelligencer/_components/clay-paragraph/ins
       tances/ck7ig5d5o001j3f67bmosmoh3@published"
       data-word-count="75">The president originally canceled his trip
       to the CDC on Friday after a staffer seemed to have contracted
       the illness, but their test came back negative and Trump
       ultimately decided to go anyway. Meanwhile, the White House
       imposed new restrictions on Friday and will now look into
       guests&rsquo; recent travel histories to make sure they
       haven&rsquo;t been to an outbreak area. White House staff have
       also been given some limited guidance on prevention, <a
       href="
  HTML https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/03/politics/donald-trump-germaphobe-coronavirus/index.html">per<br
       />CNN</a>:</p>&#13;<blockquote
       data-uri="nymag.com/intelligencer/_components/blockquote/instanc
       es/ck7igerym002v3f67mhvxdjnw@published"
       data-editable="text" data-word-count="123">&#13;<p>Staffers
       recently received advisories about the coronavirus epidemic that
       focused on prevention and guidelines for what to do if
       experiencing coronavirus symptoms. The information distributed
       to staff included a one-pager from the Centers for Disease
       Control and</p>&#13;<p>Prevention reminding people to wash their
       hands, stay home if they are sick and informing people of the
       coronavirus symptoms, similar to information health officials
       have publicly distributed or
       discussed.</p>&#13;<p></p>&#13;<p>One official said staffers
       have appeared more attuned to their health amid the outbreak,
       wiping down desks with anti-bacterial wipes and being more
       careful about sneezing into a tissue or arm. But aides have not
       received any formal guidance on workplace procedures if the
       virus escalates further, like lawmakers on Capitol Hill recently
       received, according to officials.</p>&#13;</blockquote>&#13;<p
       data-editable="text"
       data-uri="nymag.com/intelligencer/_components/clay-paragraph/ins
       tances/ck7ig5d6v001k3f67u5tvb0me@published"
       data-word-count="45">Numerous reports have indicated that Trump
       &mdash; <a
       href="
  HTML https://www.politico.com/story/2019/07/07/donald-trump-germaphobe-1399258">a<br
       />notorious germaphobe</a> &mdash; was already the <a
       href="
  HTML https://www.politico.com/story/2019/07/07/donald-trump-germaphobe-1399258">hand-sanitizer-in-chief</a><br
       />long before the COVID-19 outbreak. &ldquo;When somebody sneeze
       s
       &mdash; I mean, I try and bail out as much as possible when
       they&rsquo;re sneezing,&rdquo; Trump said at a coronavirus press
       conference last week.</p>&#13;<p data-editable="text"
       data-uri="nymag.com/intelligencer/_components/clay-paragraph/ins
       tances/ck7igcvuk002r3f67rigzhtdk@published"
       data-word-count="136">But while Trump may not have much close
       contact with the masses at his political events, his supporters
       and staff do. As large scale events around the country continue
       to be canceled out of concern over the coronavirus, the
       president will eventually have to either decide to suspend big
       events during the outbreak or push ahead and risk the health of
       his supporters, even if that risk is low. At a time when the
       president is already trying to project confidence about the U.S.
       coronavirus response, and denying any missteps by his
       administration, Trump could be damned either way. Or maybe he
       has already made his decision: As of Saturday, he has no future
       rallies on his schedule. And <a
       href="
  HTML https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/growing-coronavirus-fears-us-2020-campaigns-show-sign/story?id=69455441&cid=clicksource_4380645_4_three_posts_card_hed">according<br
       />to ABC News</a>, his campaign has also started thinking throug
       h
       how they might adjust to cancellations:</p>&#13;<blockquote
       data-uri="nymag.com/intelligencer/_components/blockquote/instanc
       es/ck7iggoph00313f67l5nlci7s@published"
       data-editable="text" data-word-count="74">&#13;<p>Trump campaign
       communications director Tim Murtaugh told ABC News on Saturday
       that they were &ldquo;proceeding as normal&rdquo; with the
       reelection events, though Trump currently has no rallies on his
       public schedule. &hellip; While there haven&rsquo;t been changes
       in planning so far around the coronavirus outbreak, the Trump
       campaign has held discussions about what to do if the rallies
       have to be put on hold, which currently isn&rsquo;t the plan,
       two campaign sources told ABC News.</p>&#13;</blockquote>&#13;<p
       data-editable="text"
       data-uri="nymag.com/intelligencer/_components/clay-paragraph/ins
       tances/ck7ig5d9m001m3f67fg10922k@published"
       data-word-count="16">&ldquo;We will announce rallies when we are
       ready to do so,&rdquo; a Trump campaign spokesperson
       claimed.</p>&#13;<aside
       data-uri="nymag.com/intelligencer/_components/newsletter-flex-te
       xt/instances/ck7ig4fz901t0kly6z6mvbb4v@published"
       data-track-id="intelligencer"
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       data-editable="settings">&#13;<div>&#13;<div>&#13;<h2>Sign Up
       for the Intelligencer Newsletter</h2>&#13;<p>Daily news about
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       de>&#13;</div>&#13;</section>[/html]
       #Post#: 15875--------------------------------------------------
       Johns Hopkins 3/9
       By: Surly1 Date: March 9, 2020, 6:46 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       [img
       width=1200]
  HTML http://www.doomsteaddiner.net/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=4726[/img]
  HTML https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6
       #Post#: 15879--------------------------------------------------
       “He’s Definitely Melting Down Over This”
       By: Surly1 Date: March 11, 2020, 10:15 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       “He’s Definitely Melting Down Over This”
  HTML https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2020/03/trump-germaphobe-in-chief-struggles-to-control-the-covid-19-story#intcid=recommendations_default-popular_3b14e128-6c5b-4d24-8a16-c8f32f40c98b_popular4-1
       Trump, Germaphobe in Chief, Struggles to Control the Covid-19
       Story
       [img
       width=750]
  HTML https://media.vanityfair.com/photos/5e6672575a28f70008cd55fd/master/w_2560%2Cc_limit/trump-covid-19-1204820493.jpg[/img]
       By Drew Angerer/Getty Images.
       By Gabriel Sherman
       March 9, 2020
       Publicly, he sees it as yet another (“Fake News”) media war;
       privately, he worries about virus-carrying journalists on Air
       Force One. But cancel his rallies? “I’m not going to do it,” he
       says.
       Ever since the coronavirus exploded outside of China at the end
       of January, Donald Trump has treated the public health crisis as
       a media war that he could win with the right messaging. But with
       cases now documented in 34 states and markets plunging,
       Republicans close to Trump fear his rosy assessments are
       fundamentally detached from reality in ways that will make the
       epidemic worse. “He is trying to control the narrative and he
       can’t,” a former West Wing official told me.
       The problem is that the crisis fits into his preexisting and
       deeply held worldview—that the media is always searching for a
       story to bring him down. Covid-19 is merely the latest instance,
       and he’s reacting in familiar ways. “So much FAKE NEWS!” Trump
       tweeted this morning. “He wants Justice to open investigations
       of the media for market manipulation,” a source close to the
       White House told me. Trump is also frustrated with his West Wing
       for not getting a handle on the news cycle. “He’s very
       frustrated he doesn’t have a good team around him,” a former
       White House official said. On Friday he forced out acting chief
       of staff Mick Mulvaney and replaced him with former House
       Freedom Caucus chair Mark Meadows. Trump thought the virus was
       “getting beyond Mick,” a person briefed on the internal
       discussions said. Trump has also complained that economic
       adviser Larry Kudlow is not doing enough to calm jittery
       markets. Last week Kudlow refused Trump’s request that Kudlow
       hold an on-camera press briefing, sources said. “Larry didn’t
       want to have to take questions about coronavirus,” a person
       close to Kudlow told me. “Larry’s not a doctor. How can he
       answer questions about something he doesn’t know?”
       Trump found a willing surrogate in Kellyanne Conway, but
       Conway’s dubious claim on Friday that the virus “is being
       contained” only made the P.R. situation worse.
       Trump’s efforts to take control of the story himself have so far
       failed. A source said Trump was pleased with ratings for the Fox
       News town hall last Thursday, but he was furious with how he
       looked on television. “Trump said afterwards that the lighting
       was bad,” a source briefed on the conversation said. “He said,
       ‘We need Bill Shine back in here. Bill would never allow this.’”
       Trump’s press conference on Friday at the CDC was a Trumpian
       classic, heavy on braggadocio and almost entirely lacking a
       sense of the seriousness of the crisis. “I like this stuff. I
       really get it,” Trump told reporters, his face partly hidden
       under a red “Keep America Great” hat. “People are surprised that
       I understand it. Every one of these doctors say, ‘How do you
       know so much about this?’ Maybe I have a natural ability. Maybe
       I should’ve done that instead of running for president.” At
       another point Trump compared the situation to the Ukraine
       shakedown. “The [coronavirus] tests are all perfect. Like the
       letter was perfect. The transcription was perfect,” he said.
       By now many of the president’s advisers are numb to this kind of
       performance. “There’s very little that fazes anyone now,” a
       former official said. But one person who spoke to the president
       over the weekend saw the press conference as an ominous sign.
       “He’s just now waking up to the fact that this is bad, and he
       doesn’t know how to respond.”
       As Trump pushes a nothing-to-see-here message in public, sources
       said he’s privately terrified about getting the virus. “Donald
       is a famous germaphobe. He hates it if someone is eating nachos
       and dips a chip back in after taking a bite. He calls them
       ‘double dippers,’” a prominent Republican said. Former Trump
       aide Sam Nunberg recalled Trump’s response to the last major
       outbreak in 2014. “When I worked for Trump, he was obsessed with
       Ebola,” Nunberg told me. (One Mar-a-Lago guest disputed this and
       said Trump was handshaking with gusto this past weekend. “He was
       acting like the opposite of a germaphobe,” the source said.)
       Stories about Trump’s coronavirus fears have spread through the
       White House. Last week Trump told aides he’s afraid journalists
       will try to purposefully contract coronavirus to give it to him
       on Air Force One, a person close to the administration told me.
       The source also said Trump has asked the Secret Service to set
       up a screening program and bar anyone who has a cough from the
       White House grounds. “He’s definitely melting down over this,”
       the source said.
       But thus far Trump’s private concerns haven’t affected his
       public response. Pressure from the public health community is
       mounting on Trump to cancel his mass rallies, but Trump is
       pushing back. “He is going to resist until the very last
       minute,” a former West Wing official said. “He may take
       suggestions to stop shaking hands, but in terms of shutting
       stuff down, his position is: ‘No, I’m not going to do it.’”
       The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
       [img]
  HTML https://scontent.forf1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/89437276_2841854589183259_1284523408545021952_n.jpg?_nc_cat=103&_nc_sid=8024bb&_nc_ohc=24tGTjdEt6wAX-QFc_C&_nc_ht=scontent.forf1-1.fna&oh=039f4cec500f6607273141e803c30634&oe=5E8C9FC4[/img]
       #Post#: 15882--------------------------------------------------
       Re: New Pandemic?
       By: Surly1 Date: March 13, 2020, 6:03 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Cases by the Center for Systems
       Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University--
       March 13, 2020
       [img
       width=1200]
  HTML http://www.doomsteaddiner.net/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=4744[/img]
  HTML https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6
       #Post#: 15883--------------------------------------------------
       No data, no problem?
       By: Surly1 Date: March 13, 2020, 6:04 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Dept. of Criminal Negligence: As South Korea tests 20,000 people
       a day for coronavirus, USA has tested 11,000 in total.
  HTML https://www.9news.com.au/world/coronavirus-testing-in-the-us-compared-with-the-rest-of-the-world/1bd4439e-7ac3-458d-8487-662dd0353221
       Yesterday, the United States conducted a grand total of eight
       coronavirus tests. No data, no problem?
  HTML https://www.9news.com.au/world/coronavirus-testing-in-the-us-compared-with-the-rest-of-the-world/1bd4439e-7ac3-458d-8487-662dd0353221
  HTML https://www.9news.com.au/world/coronavirus-testing-in-the-us-compared-with-the-rest-of-the-world/1bd4439e-7ac3-458d-8487-662dd0353221
       The reason U.S. COVID-19 numbers aren't higher? Not enough tests
  HTML https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/the-reason-u-s-covid-19-numbers-arent-higher-not-enough-tests
  HTML https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/the-reason-u-s-covid-19-numbers-arent-higher-not-enough-tests
  HTML https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/the-reason-u-s-covid-19-numbers-arent-higher-not-enough-tests
       Shortage of crucial chemicals creates new obstacle to U.S.
       coronavirus testing
  HTML https://www.statnews.com/2020/03/10/shortage-crucial-chemicals-us-coronavirus-testing/
  HTML https://www.statnews.com/2020/03/10/shortage-crucial-chemicals-us-coronavirus-testing/
  HTML https://www.statnews.com/2020/03/10/shortage-crucial-chemicals-us-coronavirus-testing/
       This one is interesting, and gets into the details behind
       problems with the reagent.
       Some coronavirus testing kits sent around the world are not
       working properly
  HTML https://www.livescience.com/coronavirus-testing-kits-flawed.html
  HTML https://www.livescience.com/coronavirus-testing-kits-flawed.html
  HTML https://www.livescience.com/coronavirus-testing-kits-flawed.html
       America’s shamefully slow coronavirus testing threatens all of
       us
  HTML https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2020/3/12/21175034/coronavirus-covid-19-testing-usa
       The US lags just about every developed country on testing for
       Covid-19 disease.
  HTML https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2020/3/12/21175034/coronavirus-covid-19-testing-usa
  HTML https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2020/3/12/21175034/coronavirus-covid-19-testing-usa
       #Post#: 15884--------------------------------------------------
       America’s shamefully slow coronavirus testing threatens all of u
       s
       By: Surly1 Date: March 13, 2020, 6:20 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       [center]America’s shamefully slow coronavirus testing threatens
       all of us
  HTML https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2020/3/12/21175034/coronavirus-covid-19-testing-usa
       The US lags just about every developed country on testing for
       Covid-19 disease.[/center]
       [img
       width=640]
  HTML https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/2bImRkC-1d5A48cdTj_e8UiVPCo=/0x0:5057x3372/1570x883/filters:focal(2016x625:2824x1433):format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/66489852/GettyImages_1211835717.0.jpg[/img]
       A woman sets up Colorado's first community testing center for
       coronavirus in Denver on March 11, 2020, RJ Sangosti/The Denver
       Post via Getty Images
       [html]<div><a href="
  HTML https://www.vox.com/authors/brian-resnick"<br
       />data-analytics-link="author-name"><span>Brian Resnick</span></
       a>
       <time data-ui="timestamp" datetime="2020-03-12T15:25:00">Mar 12,
       2020, 11:25am
       EDT</time></div>&#13;<figure><span></span>&#13;&#13;<p>In late
       February, Julie Eaker, a physician assistant and supervisor at a
       small, rural, tribal community health clinic in Siskiyou County,
       California, had a patient who had a possible exposure to
       Covid-19. It wasn&rsquo;t direct: They had been exposed to a
       person, and that person had been in direct contact with a
       confirmed Covid-19 case. Eaker&rsquo;s patient was developing an
       upper respiratory infection too, and she wanted to ease their
       peace of mind &mdash; and protect the community &mdash; by
       getting them tested for Covid-19.</p>&#13;<p>To this day, the
       patient still hasn&rsquo;t been tested for the illness. And
       it&rsquo;s not because Eaker didn&rsquo;t try. The story she
       describes is Kafkaesque.</p>&#13;<p>First, Eaker called her
       local health department and was told her patient didn&rsquo;t
       qualify for testing since they hadn&rsquo;t traveled to China,
       per the guidelines <a
       href="
  HTML https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2020/2/28/21155917/preparing-for-coronavirus-in-the-us-cdc-diagnostic-testing">from<br
       />the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at the time</a>
       .
       After the CDC relaxed its testing criteria, the patient was
       still sick, so Eaker called again. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t receive
       a phone call back,&rdquo; she says.</p>&#13;<p>The patient
       thought they had pneumonia and asked to be tested for peace of
       mind. Finally, last week, after Eaker ordered some test kits
       herself from a private lab, she got a call back. &ldquo;The
       health department told me I was not allowed to use those test
       kits &mdash; that I ordered &mdash; without their
       permission!&rdquo;</p>&#13;<p>Eaker was horrified. So she called
       the CDC to confirm if the local health department was correct.
       &ldquo;I did not get through,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;I spent
       hours and hours and hours on hold. &hellip; So I thought I would
       just call the White House and talk to Vice President Pence, who
       is in charge of the coronavirus task
       force.&ldquo;</p>&#13;<p>She didn&rsquo;t get Pence, but a White
       House switchboard operator told her to call the
       CDC.</p>&#13;<p>&ldquo;Somebody has got to help us,&rdquo; she
       says, exasperated. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re out here on the front
       lines trying to take care of
       people.&rdquo;</p>&#13;<p>Meanwhile, the commercial tests the
       clinic ordered still haven&rsquo;t arrived. And Eaker wonders if
       Covid-19 has been spreading in her community of 3,000 people.
       Siskiyou County might not have big sports arenas or universities
       where disease can infect masses. But it has multigenerational
       family homes where viruses can quickly infect a whole family,
       and a health clinic that&rsquo;s already at capacity due to the
       flu.</p>&#13;<div
       data-reader-tweet-id="1237787311477264384"><twitter-widget
       data-tweet-id="1237787311477264384">&#13;<div
       data-twitter-event-id="0">&#13;<div
       data-click-to-open-target="
  HTML https://twitter.com/COVID2019tests/status/1237787311477264384"<br
       />data-iframe-title="Twitter Tweet" data-scribe="page:tweet"
       lang="en"
       data-twitter-event-id="1">&#13;<div>&#13;<div>&#13;<blockquote
       cite="
  HTML https://twitter.com/COVID2019tests/status/1237787311477264384"<br
       />data-tweet-id="1237787311477264384"
       data-scribe="section:subject">&#13;<div><a
       data-scribe="element:user_link"
       href="
  HTML https://twitter.com/COVID2019tests"
       aria-label="COVID-19
       Test Capacity (screen name: COVID2019tests)"><img
       data-scribe="element:avatar"
       data-src-2x="
  HTML https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1237736310368022538/kIFzOrlM_bigger.jpg"<br
       />alt=""
       data-src-1x="
  HTML https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1237736310368022538/kIFzOrlM_normal.jpg"<br
       />src="
  HTML https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1237736310368022538/kIFzOrlM_bigger.jpg"<br
       />/></a>&#13;<div
       data-scribe="component:author">&#13;<div><span><span
       title="COVID-19 Test Capacity"
       data-scribe="element:name">COVID-19 Test
       Capacity</span></span><span title="@COVID2019tests"
       data-scribe="element:screen_name"
       dir="ltr">@COVID2019tests</span></div>&#13;</div>&#13;</div>&#13
       ;<div
       data-scribe="component:tweet">&#13;<p lang="en"
       dir="ltr">Updated to reflect <a
       href="
  HTML https://twitter.com/hashtag/coronavirus?src=hash"<br
       />data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" rel="tag"
       data-scribe="element:hashtag"><span>#</span><span>coronavirus</s
       pan></a>
       testing capacity in hospital and clinical
       laboratories</p>&#13;<div>&#13;<article
       data-scribe="component:card" dir="ltr">&#13;<div
       data-scribe="element:photo">&#13;<div data-="">&#13;<div
       data-=""><a
       href="
  HTML https://twitter.com/COVID2019tests/status/1237787311477264384/photo/1"><img<br
       />data-image="
  HTML https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ES2A_yxWoAAjinE"<br
       />data-image-format="jpg" width="640" height="526" title="View
       image on Twitter" alt="View image on Twitter"
       src="
  HTML https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ES2A_yxWoAAjinE?format=jpg&name=medium"<br
       />/></a></div>&#13;</div>&#13;</div>&#13;</article>&#13;</div>&#
       13;<div>&#13;<div><a
       title="Like"
       href="
  HTML https://twitter.com/intent/like?tweet_id=1237787311477264384"<br
       />data-scribe="component:actions"><span
       data-scribe="element:heart_count">183</span></a></div>&#13;<div>
       <a
       data-datetime="2020-03-11T17:07:46+0000"
       data-scribe="element:full_timestamp"
       href="
  HTML https://twitter.com/COVID2019tests/status/1237787311477264384"><time<br
       />datetime="2020-03-11T17:07:46+0000" pubdate="" title="Time
       posted: March 11, 2020 17:07:46 (UTC)">1:07 PM - Mar 11,
       2020</time></a></div>&#13;<div data-scribe="element:notice"><a
       href="
  HTML https://support.twitter.com/articles/20175256"<br
       />title="Twitter Ads info and privacy"><span>Twitter Ads info an
       d
       privacy</span></a></div>&#13;</div>&#13;</div>&#13;</blockquote>
       &#13;</div>&#13;<div
       data-scribe="element:conversation_text">163 people are talking
       about
       this</div>&#13;</div>&#13;</div>&#13;</div>&#13;<p>Accurate
       testing is critical to stopping an outbreak: When one person
       gets a confirmed diagnosis, they can be put in isolation where
       they won&rsquo;t spread the disease further. Then their contacts
       can be identified and put into quarantine so they don&rsquo;t
       spread the virus if they&rsquo;ve become infected, too.
       That&rsquo;s particularly important for a virus like this one,
       which seems able to spread before people show symptoms, or when
       their symptoms are mild.</p>&#13;<p>Ever since the first case of
       Covid-19 was detected in the US on January 20, the
       government&rsquo;s blunders in creating and distributing
       diagnostic testing have greatly handicapped our response to the
       growing pandemic. Eaker&rsquo;s story is not unique: Reports
       suggest providers everywhere are struggling to help their
       patients, while receiving frustrating guidance from
       authorities.</p>&#13;<p>Dr. Anthony Fauci, the federal
       government&rsquo;s top infectious disease scientist, called the
       testing situation a &ldquo;failing&rdquo; at a congressional
       hearing on Thursday.</p>&#13;<p>&ldquo;The idea of anybody
       getting it easily the way people in other countries are doing it
       &mdash; we&rsquo;re not set up for that,&rdquo; he <a
       href="
  HTML https://twitter.com/jessiehellmann/status/1238122642995130368">said</a>.<br
       />&ldquo;Do I think we should be? Yes. But we&rsquo;re not.
       &ldquo;</p>&#13;<p>While the testing situation in America is
       getting better &mdash; private industry has stepped up to fill
       in the slow rollout of tests from the CDC, and the <a
       href="
  HTML https://www.cleveland19.com/2020/03/12/cleveland-clinics-new-coronavirus-testing-capabilities-will-deliver-results-within-hours/">Cleveland<br
       />Clinic announced</a> it has developed a new rapid test that
       gives results in eight hours, rather than taking days &mdash;
       problems remain. The number of tests that can be performed per
       day is still limited and varies by testing facility. Part of
       that is due to a shortage of key chemicals <a
       href="
  HTML https://www.statnews.com/2020/03/10/shortage-crucial-chemicals-us-coronavirus-testing/">needed<br
       />to run the tests</a>. It&rsquo;s becoming increasingly clear
       that too-stringent testing guidelines early in the outbreak
       stymied researchers in knowing if Covid-19 was spreading in the
       US.</p>&#13;<p>&ldquo;There was clear lack of foresight,&rdquo;
       Nathan Grubaugh, an epidemiologist at the Yale School of Public
       Health, says. &ldquo;We were very slow to roll out testing
       capacity to individual places &mdash; wherever that came from,
       it was a very bad strategy.&rdquo;</p>&#13;<h3>How many have
       been tested, how many tests are there, and how many can be
       tested</h3>&#13;<p>Part of the confusion here is that there are
       different figures floating around for the number of tests that
       have been done. As private labs take up the slack from public
       health facilities, there&rsquo;s no centralized database of
       numbers.</p>&#13;<p>&ldquo;I think that we could have probably
       controlled this, if we had effective testing,&rdquo; Angela
       Rasmussen, a Columbia University virologist, says.</p>&#13;<p>We
       haven&rsquo;t. In an <a
       href="
  HTML https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/03/how-many-americans-have-been-tested-coronavirus/607597/"><strong>investigation<br
       />led by the Atlantic</strong></a>, a research team reported tha
       t
       a <a
       href="
  HTML https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/1/d/e/2PACX-1vRwAqp96T9sYYq2-i7Tj0pvTf6XVHjDSMIKBdZHXiCGGdNC0ypEU9NbngS8mxea55JuCFuua1MUeOj5/pubhtml#">little<br
       />more than 7,000</a> Covid-19 tests were performed as of March 
       11
       &mdash; putting the US far behind other developed countries.
       (The Atlantic&rsquo;s investigation is in partnership with
       independent researchers, and US testing counts are now being <a
       href="
  HTML https://twitter.com/covid19tracking">updated
       daily</a> by
       the Covid Tracking Project.)</p>&#13;<p>South Korea, for
       example, <a
       href="
  HTML https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-04/south-korea-tests-hundreds-of-thousands-to-fight-virus-outbreak">has<br
       />tested more than 140,000 people</a> and has even set up
       drive-though testing stations for <a
       href="
  HTML https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/02/asia/coronavirus-drive-through-south-korea-hnk-intl/index.html">people<br
       />to access</a>. So far, the Trump administration&rsquo;s promis
       es
       to increase testing have fallen
       flat.</p>&#13;<figure><span><picture
       data-cid="site/picture_element-1584093645_833_303741"
       data-cdata="{"asset_id":19788002,"ratio":"*"}"><source
       srcset="
  HTML https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/NUTOCv4pJeAH_LJkLOHUKFiWHUI=/0x0:1567x1959/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:1567x1959):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19788002/covid_19_testing_per_capita.jpg<br
       />320w,
  HTML https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/IVVmyu_YA7fUZFDJbI5j8aa6tTI=/0x0:1567x1959/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:1567x1959):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19788002/covid_19_testing_per_capita.jpg<br
       />520w,
  HTML https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/fJbuOmLsbaZNIX6zq98tC9BGzGc=/0x0:1567x1959/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:1567x1959):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19788002/covid_19_testing_per_capita.jpg<br
       />720w,
  HTML https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/1Pfr0AwPmhKw12T5ZYcz9iimgFo=/0x0:1567x1959/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:1567x1959):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19788002/covid_19_testing_per_capita.jpg<br
       />920w,
  HTML https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/7-JEFSf7zgQOkbDoIsarpDM-XKg=/0x0:1567x1959/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:1567x1959):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19788002/covid_19_testing_per_capita.jpg<br
       />1120w,
  HTML https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/YCSRkhfRqH-4Cw9oWbFax6A50R4=/0x0:1567x1959/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:1567x1959):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19788002/covid_19_testing_per_capita.jpg<br
       />1320w,
  HTML https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/PNT1n5cDW8LMLEzTg-DbH2SQ-tE=/0x0:1567x1959/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:1567x1959):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19788002/covid_19_testing_per_capita.jpg<br
       />1520w,
  HTML https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Mj0Hp_8r2A9K596lVn6Rn40sKMU=/0x0:1567x1959/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:1567x1959):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19788002/covid_19_testing_per_capita.jpg<br
       />1720w,
  HTML https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/aGXh0wpw_sKGHYmvJz0AyXqV4fg=/0x0:1567x1959/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:1567x1959):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19788002/covid_19_testing_per_capita.jpg<br
       />1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px)
       calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /><img
       srcset="
  HTML https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/A9GdCg54dlHKaCNW9Tdx968Yjpo=/0x0:1567x1959/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:1567x1959):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19788002/covid_19_testing_per_capita.jpg<br
       />320w,
  HTML https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/pLX9vKgYnHuZykOIB64EYJB7ba0=/0x0:1567x1959/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:1567x1959):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19788002/covid_19_testing_per_capita.jpg<br
       />520w,
  HTML https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Xys9v4XojYjqIV3qQVNlGFtjj6M=/0x0:1567x1959/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:1567x1959):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19788002/covid_19_testing_per_capita.jpg<br
       />720w,
  HTML https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/dxxFVx8SsGzSzpk6AucIqK_LIBY=/0x0:1567x1959/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:1567x1959):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19788002/covid_19_testing_per_capita.jpg<br
       />920w,
  HTML https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/p7ME5UwwR3BEoUrKYmP1ZHyuhcQ=/0x0:1567x1959/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:1567x1959):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19788002/covid_19_testing_per_capita.jpg<br
       />1120w,
  HTML https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/cByMCFJuOkGeT40zaN-fFj69oco=/0x0:1567x1959/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:1567x1959):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19788002/covid_19_testing_per_capita.jpg<br
       />1320w,
  HTML https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/hyuP0Bp9fa1-LexLnVHo5SRWCAI=/0x0:1567x1959/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:1567x1959):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19788002/covid_19_testing_per_capita.jpg<br
       />1520w,
  HTML https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/II3zxgFxum2VMHU0ixH634q2MA8=/0x0:1567x1959/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:1567x1959):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19788002/covid_19_testing_per_capita.jpg<br
       />1720w,
  HTML https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/UdHEVszPraj947AC7_1a4k6Kcwo=/0x0:1567x1959/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:1567x1959):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19788002/covid_19_testing_per_capita.jpg<br
       />1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px)
       calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" alt="" data-upload-width="1567"
       src="
  HTML https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/DxuRMPu3oCs9DG5Mhwx8Ftn5f10=/0x0:1567x1959/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:1567x1959):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19788002/covid_19_testing_per_capita.jpg"<br
       />/></picture></span><span><cite>Christina
       Animashaun/Vox</cite></span></figure>&#13;<p>Test kits have been
       in short supply &mdash; though that&rsquo;s
       changing.</p>&#13;<p>The numbers here are a bit confusing, too.
       As of March 7, Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen
       Hahn <a
       href="
  HTML https://www.fda.gov/news-events/speeches-fda-officials/coronavirus-covid-19-update-white-house-press-briefing-fda-commissioner-stephen-m-hahn-md-03072020">said</a><br
       />the CDC has sent out enough test kits to test 75,000 people (f
       ar
       fewer than the million <a
       href="
  HTML https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/03/health/coronavirus-tests-fda.html">promised</a><br
       />by the Trump administration). But those are just the tests sen
       t
       to public health labs. An additional 1.1 million tests (<a
       href="
  HTML https://www.fda.gov/news-events/speeches-fda-officials/coronavirus-covid-19-update-white-house-press-briefing-fda-commissioner-stephen-m-hahn-md-03072020">produced<br
       />by private industry</a>) have been sent out to non-public
       commercial and academic labs, according to Hahn. In all, he
       estimated 850,000 Americans are able to be
       tested.</p>&#13;<p>But capacity to test is still lagging. Part
       of that is due to a shortage of key chemicals <a
       href="
  HTML https://www.statnews.com/2020/03/10/shortage-crucial-chemicals-us-coronavirus-testing/">needed<br
       />to run the tests</a>. Currently, according to the American
       Enterprise Institute, 16,030 Covid-19 tests can be processed in
       the US a day, up from 7,840 a few days <a
       href="
  HTML https://twitter.com/COVID2019tests/status/1237064518922047488">ago</a>.<br
       />(South Korea has been able to run 10,000 tests per day <a
       href="
  HTML https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/10/us/coronavirus-testing-delays.html">since</a><br
       />February.)</p>&#13;<p>Some labs have much higher capacity than
       others. Even the corporate diagnostic companies like Quest and
       LabCorp only have the capacity to run 1,000 and 1,500 tests a
       day, respectively. Your ability to get tested may depend on
       where you live, the lab your physician uses, and the judgment of
       your doctor.</p>&#13;<h3>The timeline of the testing fiasco
       shows many sources of error</h3>&#13;<p>There&rsquo;s no one
       reason the testing effort has been so slow. There seem to be
       bureaucratic, scientific, and economic drivers for the
       debacle.</p>&#13;<p>Here&rsquo;s where the trouble started. The
       CDC <a
       href="
  HTML https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2020/p0206-coronavirus-diagnostic-test-kits.html">started</a><br
       />sending out test kits to laboratories the first week of
       February, a month after China announced the outbreak. But the
       health agency quickly encountered a problem.</p>&#13;<p>Some
       labs reported to the CDC <a
       href="
  HTML https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/13/health/us-coronavirus-test-kits/index.html">that<br
       />some of the test kits were</a> delivering inconclusive results
       during verification. It&rsquo;s believed that one of the
       chemicals used to conduct the test was not working properly and
       needed to be
       remanufactured.</p>&#13;<aside>&#13;<div>&#13;<p>Related</p>&#13
       ;<h4><a
       data-analytics-link="readmore"
       href="
  HTML https://www.vox.com/2020/3/10/21171481/coronavirus-us-cases-quarantine-cancellation">How<br
       />canceled events and self-quarantines save lives, in one
       chart</a></h4>&#13;</div>&#13;</aside>&#13;<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m
       very puzzled by what&rsquo;s happened. The CDC did a really good
       job with H1N1 and Zika in exactly this thing: sending out huge
       quantities of test kits very rapidly to every state in the US
       and more than 100 countries around the world,&rdquo; Tom
       Frieden, who led the CDC under President Barack Obama, told Vox.
       &ldquo;The world came to rely on the CDC.&rdquo;</p>&#13;<p>The
       tests are conducted <a
       href="
  HTML https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/lab/guidelines-clinical-specimens.html">via<br
       />mouth or throat swabs</a>, through the testing of mucus that h
       as
       been coughed up or fluid from a patient&rsquo;s trachea.
       They&rsquo;re designed to identify the virus&rsquo;s specific
       genetic signature, and results have to be shipped to labs, where
       they take a day to process.</p>&#13;<p>Also, at first, the
       testing was bottlenecked. Most states had to send their samples
       to the CDC until March 2, and so, to the frustration of state
       health officials, precious time was lost shipping materials to
       Atlanta in those critical first few weeks. What&rsquo;s more,
       each test required lengthy phone calls with the CDC, Rachel
       Levine, who leads the Pennsylvania health department, told
       Vox.</p>&#13;<p>As of February 25, <a
       href="
  HTML http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/02/cdc-warns-us-covid-19-spread-labs-frustrated-over-lack-tests">only</a><br
       />12 labs across the country &mdash; in just five states &mdash;
       had the ability to test. The first case of Covid-19 <a
       href="
  HTML https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/10/us/coronavirus-testing-delays.html">detected</a><br
       />in the US originally did not meet the criteria for testing, as
       the New York Times explains. Perhaps that had deadly
       consequences: The outbreak in Washington state appears to be
       part of a transmission chain related to that first discovered
       case. When the CDC refused testing for that case, the Seattle
       Flu Study, a research group, performed one <a
       href="
  HTML https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/10/us/coronavirus-testing-delays.html">on<br
       />its own</a>.</p>&#13;<p>Now that states can perform their own
       tests, they are able to turn them around in a matter of hours.
       &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a much more efficient mechanism,&rdquo; Levine
       said, &ldquo;but it took a long time for that to
       happen.&rdquo;</p>&#13;<p>In Seattle, currently the US city with
       the most Covid-19 cases, local researchers were so exasperated
       by the CDC&rsquo;s initial faulty test that they came up with
       their own, as Stat&rsquo;s Helen Branswell <a
       href="
  HTML https://www.statnews.com/2020/03/03/washington-state-risks-seeing-explosion-in-coronavirus-without-dramatic-action-new-analysis-says/">reported</a>:</p>&#13;<blockquote>&#13;<p>Frustrated<br
       />by the lack of testing resulting from the problem with the
       CDC-developed kit, the Seattle Flu Study began using an in-house
       developed test to look for Covid-19 in samples from people who
       had flu-like symptoms but who had tested negative for
       flu.</p>&#13;</blockquote>&#13;<p>That testing was vital for
       Washington, as it led to more clues about how the disease was
       spreading there. Genetic detective work from Washington suggests
       the virus has been circulating there for <a
       href="
  HTML https://www.statnews.com/2020/03/03/washington-state-risks-seeing-explosion-in-coronavirus-without-dramatic-action-new-analysis-says/">at<br
       />least six weeks</a>. Modeling suggests there could be 1,110 <a
       href="
  HTML https://twitter.com/trvrb/status/1237395568478961665">cases</a><br
       />of Covid-19 in the Seattle area.</p>&#13;<p>So there&rsquo;s
       been human error. But it&rsquo;s also important to know that the
       work of setting up testing for a new virus can be difficult.
       Laurie Garrett, the science journalist who won a Pulitzer Prize
       for her reporting on the 1995 Ebola outbreak, said China&rsquo;s
       most-used tests have had false negatives nearly half the
       time.</p>&#13;<p>&ldquo;Everybody is having trouble with the
       sensitivity/specificity issues&rdquo; with the coronavirus,
       Garrett said. But the slow start to testing in America,
       compounded by the problematic test kits that were first sent out
       into the field, has set back the US
       response.</p>&#13;<p>&ldquo;I have no criticisms for the
       scientists at the CDC who developed the test because sometimes
       tests just don&rsquo;t work,&rdquo; Rasmussen says. But she does
       mention it&rsquo;s problematic that the CDC has removed data
       about the number of people tested in the United States from its
       website, saying it didn&rsquo;t want there to <a
       href="
  HTML https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/03/how-many-americans-have-been-tested-coronavirus/607597/">be<br
       />discrepancies with state testing numbers</a>. &ldquo;In my vie
       w,
       the biggest scandal is that sort of
       response.&rdquo;</p>&#13;<h3>Now that we have a functional test,
       it&rsquo;s still not reaching enough people</h3>&#13;<p>Vice
       President Mike Pence and other top Trump administration
       officials have been promising to ramp up the country&rsquo;s
       capacity to test for coronavirus, but they have failed to meet
       their goals.</p>&#13;<p>As Bloomberg <a
       href="
  HTML https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-05/u-s-won-t-meet-coronavirus-test-rollout-goal-senators-say?utm_content=business&cmpid=socialflow-twitter-business&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=socialflow-organic">reported<br
       /></a>on March 5, senators were told in a CDC briefing that the
       Trump administration would not be ready to roll out the 1.5
       million kits it had promised by the end of this week. The number
       would be fewer than 500,000, it appeared.</p>&#13;<p><a
       href="
  HTML https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/03/how-many-americans-have-been-tested-coronavirus/607597/">The<br
       />Atlantic</a> has provided the best accounting of how many test
       s
       have actually been conducted in the United States so far: around
       7,000, according to its survey of state health officials and
       other sources. That puts the US far behind some of its economic
       peers with much smaller
       populations:</p>&#13;<blockquote>&#13;<p>In South Korea, <a
       href="
  HTML https://abcnews.go.com/International/massive-coronavirus-testing-program-south-korea-underscores-nimble/story?id=69226222">more<br
       />than 66,650 people</a> were tested within a week of its first
       case of community transmission, and it quickly became able to
       test 10,000 people a day. The United Kingdom, which has only 115
       positive cases, has <a
       href="
  HTML https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-information-for-the-public">so<br
       />far tested 18,083 people</a> for the
       virus.</p>&#13;</blockquote>&#13;<p>Making matters worse, some
       people who have sought tests in the past few weeks, like
       Eaker&rsquo;s patient, have <a
       href="
  HTML https://www.marketwatch.com/story/one-womans-miserable-experience-trying-to-get-tested-for-the-coronavirus-2020-03-03">been<br
       />turned away</a>. And these shortcomings make it harder for the
       public health community to react to a virus that spreads quickly
       and easily.</p>&#13;<p>Many people don&rsquo;t really show
       symptoms of Covid-19, or their symptoms are very mild, but you
       want them to be tested anyway if there is an opportunity. To do
       that, doctors need to be able to order the test, which the CDC
       is only now permitting them to do. Commercial labs only recently
       started processing the coronavirus test, too, a step health care
       providers had been urging the administration to
       take.</p>&#13;<p>&ldquo;The issue is with asymptomatic
       transmission. You don&rsquo;t know who is infected, and symptoms
       aren&rsquo;t going to help if the patient doesn&rsquo;t have
       any,&rdquo; Abraar Karan, a Harvard physician, said. &ldquo;A
       rapid test would help because you can then do mass testing at
       scale.&rdquo;</p>&#13;&#13;<figure><span><picture
       data-cid="site/picture_element-1584093645_3517_303742"
       data-cdata="{"asset_id":19787550,"ratio":"*"}"><source
       srcset="
  HTML https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/VRkNtBjIeSst1N-hecEm13KndGY=/0x0:3600x2400/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2400):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19787550/GettyImages_1211693321.jpg<br
       />320w,
  HTML https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/SkHIpnxz2W0myMg3tTdOB2oSpoM=/0x0:3600x2400/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2400):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19787550/GettyImages_1211693321.jpg<br
       />520w,
  HTML https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ZknYKyO0ovx_OTGSlXCs1yeuHnk=/0x0:3600x2400/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2400):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19787550/GettyImages_1211693321.jpg<br
       />720w,
  HTML https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/WZydOi5GfHyD9fJ5qkrJry_eOe8=/0x0:3600x2400/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2400):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19787550/GettyImages_1211693321.jpg<br
       />920w,
  HTML https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/EZlnAyNyyVFGZy9EIzprzYEeiWM=/0x0:3600x2400/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2400):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19787550/GettyImages_1211693321.jpg<br
       />1120w,
  HTML https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/h77gh-5Fq0MnP0veG9Klfp6tU4k=/0x0:3600x2400/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2400):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19787550/GettyImages_1211693321.jpg<br
       />1320w,
  HTML https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/rL77IkOxdT29gIJakeTF_5DQ-DI=/0x0:3600x2400/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2400):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19787550/GettyImages_1211693321.jpg<br
       />1520w,
  HTML https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/yYStnjzCUuXIV4mczGRrSVyDBQE=/0x0:3600x2400/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2400):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19787550/GettyImages_1211693321.jpg<br
       />1720w,
  HTML https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/xAgVSvZxdkLfzV49RtFksAUrFyQ=/0x0:3600x2400/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2400):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19787550/GettyImages_1211693321.jpg<br
       />1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px)
       calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /><img
       srcset="
  HTML https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/hTB73tHu86UvCwMNvwHRs5Xe6C8=/0x0:3600x2400/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2400):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19787550/GettyImages_1211693321.jpg<br
       />320w,
  HTML https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Gm0OAIE_201ZHaKCackjrKxsgYU=/0x0:3600x2400/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2400):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19787550/GettyImages_1211693321.jpg<br
       />520w,
  HTML https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/dG6xw9srNUGNjS58pjq37U9KNuE=/0x0:3600x2400/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2400):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19787550/GettyImages_1211693321.jpg<br
       />720w,
  HTML https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/myz1ZlKoY3P4TJx0RUTzvjtJeyQ=/0x0:3600x2400/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2400):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19787550/GettyImages_1211693321.jpg<br
       />920w,
  HTML https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ZyurZuLO51zaNpk2VxlFe2YpkqQ=/0x0:3600x2400/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2400):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19787550/GettyImages_1211693321.jpg<br
       />1120w,
  HTML https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/PUbnrWs90SrLmGlUuOuQUB0RqdY=/0x0:3600x2400/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2400):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19787550/GettyImages_1211693321.jpg<br
       />1320w,
  HTML https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/yEgpQW9snNIX7LUF-8Hpb2F_fCY=/0x0:3600x2400/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2400):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19787550/GettyImages_1211693321.jpg<br
       />1520w,
  HTML https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/_jzNHd4g2LZ6taBleVSBJcXOTqM=/0x0:3600x2400/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2400):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19787550/GettyImages_1211693321.jpg<br
       />1720w,
  HTML https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/rddvxfRKgn-8BljBSomn8yDrF9o=/0x0:3600x2400/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2400):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19787550/GettyImages_1211693321.jpg<br
       />1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px)
       calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" alt="" data-upload-width="3600"
       src="
  HTML https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/vVUlL7HnfjdEp1dgIqjIF-MMb4c=/0x0:3600x2400/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2400):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19787550/GettyImages_1211693321.jpg"<br
       />/></picture></span>&#13;&#13;<p>Another is the criteria for wh
       o
       qualified to be tested. Originally, that was limited only to
       people who traveled to China or who had been in close contact
       with someone known to have Covid-19.</p>&#13;<p>Then the tests
       expanded to include anyone who traveled to any affected country,
       as well as people with unexplained flu-like symptoms. Now,
       anyone with a physician&rsquo;s authorization can be tested for
       Covid-19 &mdash; that is, if they can access a
       test.</p>&#13;<p>Meanwhile, the federal government has <a
       href="
  HTML https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/coronavirus-covid-19-update-fda-issues-new-policy-help-expedite-availability-diagnostics">decreased<br
       />some regulatory roadblocks</a>for more testing labs to come
       online. Labs can now start testing if they are pursuing an
       emergency authorization to test, and they don&rsquo;t have to
       wait for the FDA to give them final approval. But some of the
       materials to run the tests are growing scarce for some labs, <a
       href="
  HTML https://www.statnews.com/2020/03/10/shortage-crucial-chemicals-us-coronavirus-testing/">according<br
       />to Stat</a>.</p>&#13;<h3>What needs to happen
       next</h3>&#13;<p>We don&rsquo;t need testing just to diagnose
       sick people coming into doctor&rsquo;s offices and hospitals. We
       also need testing to do surveillance out in communities.
       &ldquo;You actually have to go out now in many places in the US
       and start taking samples from people,&rdquo; Grubaugh
       says.</p>&#13;<p>Those surveillance studies will help us
       understand how prevalent milder cases are in populations. And
       adding those milder cases to data sets will help researchers
       determine more accurately how deadly this virus is, whom it
       tends to infect, and how often people spread it before showing
       symptoms. As testing ramps up, be prepared to hear about a lot
       more cases of Covid-19 in the US.</p>&#13;<p>As former FDA
       Commissioner Scott Gottlieb <a
       href="
  HTML https://twitter.com/ScottGottliebMD/status/1238058027510575107">tweeted</a><br
       />Thursday, the private labs also need to step up. &ldquo;Only b
       ig
       national clinical labs like LabCorp and Quest can fill the void.
       A lot rides on them now. ... Only these big national chains have
       throughput, scale, and ordering systems to fill the void that
       was created. We look to them now. We need
       them.&rdquo;</p>&#13;<p>All that information can then be used to
       better halt the spread of the illness.</p>&#13;<p>Again, without
       testing, we&rsquo;re in the dark. And while we&rsquo;re in the
       dark, the virus can spread. As Rasmussen says, &ldquo;we
       don&rsquo;t know what the prevalence actually
       is.&rdquo;</p>&#13;[/html]
       #Post#: 15886--------------------------------------------------
       Is The USA &quot;playing catchup&quot; in regard to COVID-19 tes
       t kit availability? 
       By: AGelbert Date: March 13, 2020, 12:59 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       March 13, 2020
       [center]U.S. COVID-19 Outbreak: ‘We’re At the
       Beginning’[/center]
       [center]Lack of tests and testing facilities has the United
       States playing a dangerous game of catch up [img
       width=50]
  HTML http://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/1/3-210818163123-16652282.gif[/img][/center]
       [center]
  HTML https://youtu.be/mIiheRRAzvU[/center]
  HTML https://therealnews.com/stories/u-s-covid-19-outbreak-were-at-the-beginning
       Agelbert QUIBBLE:  The USA is not "playing catchup" in regard to
       COVID-19 test kit availability. As Professor Wolff explains
       below, the LACK of COVID-19 test kits is a function of our
       CAPITALIST economy (see: CLUSTERFUCK for we-the-people
  HTML http://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-040718162656-14241872.gif<br
       />and [img
       width=50]
  HTML http://www.smilies.4-user.de/include/Spiele/smilie_game_017.gif[/img]<br
       />profit guarantees for the Medical Industrial Complex). If the
       GOVERNMENT buys millions of test kits, the pharmaceutical
       corporations are forced to give volume discounts. If, on the
       other hand, we-the-people have to pay piecemeal through our
       health insurance or out of individual pocket for COVID-19 tests,
       a LARGE profit, PER TEST KIT, is baked into the CAPITALIST
       CAPTIVE MEDICAL MARKET (CORRUPTED) "cake". &#128520; [img
       width=50]
  HTML http://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-130418193910.gif[/img]<br
       />[img
       width=30]
  HTML http://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/2/3-200419205214.png[/img]
       26,685 views•Mar 11, 2020
       [center]AskProfWolff: COVID-19 and the Stock Market[/center]
       [center]
  HTML https://youtu.be/3E_46XobpEQ[/center]
       Here's a more comprehensive version of the above:
       24,014 views•Mar 11, 2020
       [center]Changing Strained Alliances of World Capitalism [March
       2020][/center]
       [center]
  HTML https://youtu.be/vSDkqeu0G2o[/center]
       Click on image for interactive COVID-19 map. &#128064;
       [center][img
       width=990]
  HTML https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/2/3-130320140803.png[/img]
  HTML https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6[/center]
       #Post#: 15892--------------------------------------------------
       UK Imposes Travel Restrictions to North Sea Oil and Gas Installa
       tions
       By: AGelbert Date: March 13, 2020, 2:57 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       [img
       width=150]
  HTML http://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-170218174357.png[/img]
       [center]UK Imposes Travel Restrictions to North Sea Oil and Gas
       Installations[/center]
       By Reuters on Mar 12, 2020 01:26 pm
       [center][img
       width=640]
  HTML https://ci3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/22lOG87Gsbim-8rmpjPrTWYJGOnRx5jGtWDJzmDisvGEHxuGWZEfIHDh-Crpea00-GmqshatWtQOpiBwyYlsUspnmzoQF_B70sm2GZqLJvDifjVOlst7XtVpg0o=s0-d-e1-ft#http://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/shutterstock_164657579.jpg[/img][/center]
       [center]offshore rig[/center]
       LONDON, March 12 (Reuters) – Britain’s oil and gas sector
       association OGUK on Thursday banned people from travelling to
       offshore installations such as platforms if they have travelled
       to certain countries affected by the coronavirus in the previous
       14 days. The ban comes after Equinor reported the oil industry’s
       first coronavirus infection on an offshore installation on
       Wednesday, […]  Read full story...
  HTML https://gcaptain.com/uk-imposes-travel-restrictions-to-north-sea-oil-and-gas-installations/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Gcaptain+%28gCaptain.com%29&goal=0_f50174ef03-32f5c0a2a7-169600093&mc_cid=32f5c0a2a7&mc_eid=1855a0727e
       #Post#: 15898--------------------------------------------------
       Re: New Pandemic?
       By: Surly1 Date: March 14, 2020, 4:01 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Look at the spike in the number of cases reflected in the yellow
       line on the chart in the lower right corner.
       [center][img
       width=990]
  HTML http://www.doomsteaddiner.net/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=4766[/img][/center]
       #Post#: 15901--------------------------------------------------
       Cover Trump's Ass and Fudge the Numbers
       By: Surly1 Date: March 14, 2020, 9:16 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Camp Runamuck's Response to a Global Pandemic: Cover Trump's Ass
       and Fudge the Numbers
  HTML https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a31476101/trump-coronavirus-january-testing-kloss-facebook-doctors/
       Oh, and give Jared Kushner some Internet access to sort it all
       out.
       [img]
  HTML https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/images/trumpo-1584117822.jpg?resize=980:*[/img]
       [html]<h2 class="subhead"></h2>&#13;<div class="metadata
       singleline">&#13;<div class="byline">By <a
       href="safari-reader://www.esquire.com/author/7884/charles-p-pier
       ce/"
       data-vars-ga-ux-element="Byline"
       data-vars-ga-call-to-action="Charles P. Pierce"><span>Charles P.
       Pierce</span></a></div>&#13;<span class="delimiter"></span><time
       datetime="2020-03-13T16:48:06.970133Z" class="date">Mar 13,
       2020</time></div>&#13;<div class="leading-image">
       &#13;<div class="credit"><span class="image-photo-credit">JIM
       WATSON</span><span class="image-copyright">Getty
       Images</span></div>&#13;</div>&#13;<p>Mother of
       god.</p>&#13;<p>From NPR (via <em><a
       href="
  HTML https://theweek.com/speedreads/902009/trump-reportedly-rejected-aggressive-coronavirus-testing-hopes-help-reelection"<br
       />target="_blank"
       data-vars-ga-outbound-link="
  HTML https://theweek.com/speedreads/902009/trump-reportedly-rejected-aggressive-coronavirus-testing-hopes-help-reelection">The<br
       />Week</a></em>):</p>&#13;<blockquote class="clear">In January,
       Azar "did push past resistance from the president's political
       aides to warn the president the new coronavirus could be a major
       problem," <a
       href="
  HTML https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.npr.org/2020/03/12/814881355/white-house-knew-coronavirus-would-be-a-major-threat-but-response-fell-short__;!!Ivohdkk!2C1CCtmhknvlZ0SzHMzs9-Npux07qv_a5bpyyrtHo7CBVxo4lIlTNA23TSqd4cp0%24"<br
       />data-vars-ga-outbound-link="
  HTML https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.npr.org/2020/03/12/814881355/white-house-knew-coronavirus-would-be-a-major-threat-but-response-fell-short__;!!Ivohdkk!2C1CCtmhknvlZ0SzHMzs9-Npux07qv_a5bpyyrtHo7CBVxo4lIlTNA23TSqd4cp0$">Diamond<br
       />said</a>, but he "has not always given the president the
       worst-case scenario of what could happen. My understanding is
       &#91;Trump&#93; did not push to do aggressive additional testing
       in recent weeks, and that's partly because more testing might
       have led to more cases being discovered of coronavirus outbreak,
       and the president had made clear &mdash; the lower the numbers
       on coronavirus, the better for the president, the better for his
       potential re-election this
       fall."</blockquote>&#13;<p><em>Holy</em> mother of
       god.</p>&#13;<p>From the <em><a
       href="
  HTML https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2020-03-13/trump-administration-blocks-states-use-medicaid-respond-coronavirus-crisis"<br
       />target="_blank"
       data-vars-ga-outbound-link="
  HTML https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2020-03-13/trump-administration-blocks-states-use-medicaid-respond-coronavirus-crisis">Los<br
       />Angeles Times</a></em>:<u></u></p>&#13;<blockquote
       class="clear">In previous emergencies, including the 9/11
       terrorist attacks, Hurricane Katrina and the H1N1 flu outbreak,
       both Republican and Democratic administrations loosened Medicaid
       rules to empower states to meet surging needs. But months into
       the current global disease outbreak, the White House and senior
       federal health officials haven&rsquo;t taken the necessary steps
       to give states simple pathways to fully leverage the mammoth
       safety net program to prevent a wider
       epidemic.</blockquote>&#13;<p><em>Holy </em>mother of <em>fcking
       god.</em></p>&#13;<p>From <em><a
       href="
  HTML https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/13/jared-kushner-combat-coronavirus-facebook-127941"<br
       />target="_blank"
       data-vars-ga-outbound-link="
  HTML https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/13/jared-kushner-combat-coronavirus-facebook-127941">Politico</a></em>:<em></em></p>&#13;<blockquote<br
       />class="clear">Just before midnight Wednesday, a doctor asked a
       group of fellow emergency room physicians on Facebook how they
       would combat the escalating coronavirus outbreak. &ldquo;I have
       direct channel to person now in charge at White House,&rdquo;
       Kurt Kloss wrote in his post. The next morning, after hundreds
       of doctors responded, Kloss explained why he sought the
       suggestions: Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump&rsquo;s
       son-in-law and senior adviser, had asked him for
       recommendations.</blockquote>&#13;<blockquote
       class="clear">Kloss, whose daughter is married to
       Kushner&rsquo;s brother, sent Kushner 12 recommendations
       Thursday morning. The Facebook crowd-sourcing exercise showed
       how Trump&lsquo;s team is scrambling for solutions to confront
       the outbreak after weeks of criticism for the administration's
       sluggish response, a shortage of tests and the president&rsquo;s
       own rhetoric downplaying the pandemic. It is now expected to
       consume the final year of Trump's first term and threaten his
       campaign for a second term.</blockquote>&#13;<p>This is the
       response of Camp Runamuck to a global pandemic. Cover the
       president*&rsquo;s oversized caboose, fudge the numbers, and
       give the Dauphin some Internet access? <em>El Caudillo del
       Mar-a-Lago </em>was planning another news conference for Friday,
       which promised to be a big bag of lies and blame-shifting.
       (He&rsquo;s taken to lying about the Obama administration at
       full volume, so the elderly shut-ins and proud ignorami in his
       base will have a black guy to blame.) But the fact is that
       electing a TV clown and real-estate grifter to be president just
       to own the libs&mdash;and because you hate Hillary Rodham
       Clinton&mdash;turns out to have been a bad idea all around. This
       is an administration that was set up to fail and it has followed
       its programming precisely.</p>&#13;<div
       class="clear">&#13;<p></p>&#13;</div>&#13;<div
       data-align="center" data-size="medium"
       class="clear">&#13;<div>&#13;<div><span data-expand="2000"
       data-lqip="
  HTML https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/images/trumpo2-1584117879.jpg?resize=480:*&frame=1&lqip=yes"></span><picture><source<br
       />data-srcset="
  HTML https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/images/trumpo2-1584117879.jpg?resize=768:*"<br
       />media="(min-width: 61.25rem)"
       srcset="
  HTML https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/images/trumpo2-1584117879.jpg?resize=768:*"<br
       />/><source
       data-srcset="
  HTML https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/images/trumpo2-1584117879.jpg?resize=980:*"<br
       />media="(min-width: 48rem)"
       srcset="
  HTML https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/images/trumpo2-1584117879.jpg?resize=980:*"<br
       />/><source
       data-srcset="
  HTML https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/images/trumpo2-1584117879.jpg?resize=640:*"<br
       />media="(min-width: 30rem)"
       srcset="
  HTML https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/images/trumpo2-1584117879.jpg?resize=640:*"<br
       />/><img alt="President Trump Joins Coronavirus Task Force
       Briefing At White House" title="President Trump Joins
       Coronavirus Task Force Briefing At White House"
       data-src="
  HTML https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/images/trumpo2-1584117879.jpg?resize=480:*"<br
       />src="
  HTML https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/images/trumpo2-1584117879.jpg?resize=480:*"<br
       />class="extendsBeyondTextColumn"
       /></picture></div>&#13;</div>&#13;<div>Holy mother of
       god.&#13;<p><span>Drew Angerer</span><span>Getty
       Images</span></p>&#13;</div>&#13;</div>&#13;<p>If it were up to
       me, I&rsquo;d impeach him again and, this time, no hearings.
       Straight to the floor of the House with a privileged resolution
       and then straight to an up-or-down vote on the articles. If that
       NPR story is accurate, then he has clearly violated his oath of
       office and put the health and safety of the nation at risk for
       his own private political purposes. Let 52 Republican senators
       defend that with their votes. Let Susan Collins furrow her brow
       over that as her poll numbers tank. The last time, it was the
       integrity of our elections that was endangered. This time,
       it&rsquo;s Grandma with her asthma. People can identify more
       with the latter, I think, than with the ratfcking of the distant
       Volga Bagmen.</p>&#13;<p>Of course, that won&rsquo;t happen.
       It&rsquo;s the wrong thing on which to waste time in these
       perilous days. It&rsquo;s why I am not a member of Congress, let
       alone in leadership. (A grateful nation rejoices.) All we can do
       is listen to the voices of reason that really are out there.
       It&rsquo;s only a matter of time before Dr. Anthony Fauci <a
       href="
  HTML https://abcnews.go.com/Health/coronavirus-live-updates-drastic-measures-issued-globally-pandemic/story?id=69551458&cid=clicksource_4380645_2_heads_hero_live_hero_hed"<br
       />target="_blank"
       data-vars-ga-outbound-link="
  HTML https://abcnews.go.com/Health/coronavirus-live-updates-drastic-measures-issued-globally-pandemic/story?id=69551458&cid=clicksource_4380645_2_heads_hero_live_hero_hed">blows<br
       />his stack</a> regarding administration* incompetence, I&rsquo;
       m
       thinking. On Thursday, on CNBC, Senator Professor Warren
       proposed <a
       href="
  HTML https://www.cnbc.com/video/2020/03/12/elizabeth-warren-talks-grassroots-plan-to-address-coronavirus-crisis.html"<br
       />target="_blank"
       data-vars-ga-outbound-link="
  HTML https://www.cnbc.com/video/2020/03/12/elizabeth-warren-talks-grassroots-plan-to-address-coronavirus-crisis.html">an<br
       />economic emergency plan</a> that seemed to make so much sense 
       to
       Jim Cramer than he looked like he might vote for her right there
       on the air. And Joe Biden gave another strong, earnest
       presidentialish address on the subject. Local and state
       officials are doing heroic work. If your governor or state
       legislator is stepping up, drop them a line and tell them
       you&rsquo;re behind them.</p>&#13;<div data-align="center"
       data-size="medium" class="clear">&#13;<div>&#13;<div><span
       data-expand="2000"
       data-lqip="
  HTML https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/images/kush-1584117945.jpg?resize=480:*&frame=1&lqip=yes"></span><picture><source<br
       />data-srcset="
  HTML https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/images/kush-1584117945.jpg?resize=768:*"<br
       />media="(min-width: 61.25rem)"
       srcset="
  HTML https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/images/kush-1584117945.jpg?resize=768:*"<br
       />/><source
       data-srcset="
  HTML https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/images/kush-1584117945.jpg?resize=980:*"<br
       />media="(min-width: 48rem)"
       srcset="
  HTML https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/images/kush-1584117945.jpg?resize=980:*"<br
       />/><source
       data-srcset="
  HTML https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/images/kush-1584117945.jpg?resize=640:*"<br
       />media="(min-width: 30rem)"
       srcset="
  HTML https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/images/kush-1584117945.jpg?resize=640:*"<br
       />/><img alt="President Donald J. Trump" title="President Donald
       J. Trump"
       data-src="
  HTML https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/images/kush-1584117945.jpg?resize=480:*"<br
       />src="
  HTML https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/images/kush-1584117945.jpg?resize=480:*"<br
       />class="extendsBeyondTextColumn"
       /></picture></div>&#13;</div>&#13;<div>The Dauphin will handle
       this.&#13;<p><span>The Washington Post</span><span>Getty
       Images</span></p>&#13;</div>&#13;</div>&#13;<div
       class="clear">&#13;<p></p>&#13;</div>&#13;<p>It looks like new
       tests for the virus is not far off; both <a
       href="
  HTML https://www.cleveland19.com/2020/03/12/cleveland-clinics-new-coronavirus-testing-capabilities-will-deliver-results-within-hours/"<br
       />target="_blank"
       data-vars-ga-outbound-link="
  HTML https://www.cleveland19.com/2020/03/12/cleveland-clinics-new-coronavirus-testing-capabilities-will-deliver-results-within-hours/">the<br
       />Cleveland Clinic</a> and <a
       href="
  HTML http://www.startribune.com/mayo-clinic-fast-tracks-covid-19-test-coronavirus-minnesota/568741482/"<br
       />target="_blank"
       data-vars-ga-outbound-link="
  HTML http://www.startribune.com/mayo-clinic-fast-tracks-covid-19-test-coronavirus-minnesota/568741482/">the<br
       />Mayo clinic </a>have announced that they&rsquo;ve developed on
       e.
       If we can get Camp Runamuck and the president*&rsquo;s
       elephantine self-regard out of the way, we might even be able to
       catch up to <a
       href="
  HTML https://edition.cnn.com/2020/03/12/asia/coronavirus-south-korea-testing-intl-hnk/index.html?utm_content=2020-03-12T12%3A33%3A48&utm_medium=social&utm_term=link&utm_source=twCNNi"<br
       />target="_blank"
       data-vars-ga-outbound-link="
  HTML https://edition.cnn.com/2020/03/12/asia/coronavirus-south-korea-testing-intl-hnk/index.html?utm_content=2020-03-12T12%3A33%3A48&utm_medium=social&utm_term=link&utm_source=twCNNi">South<br
       />Korea</a> and <a
       href="
  HTML https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/03/coronavirus-shows-us-america-is-broken.html"<br
       />target="_blank"
       data-vars-ga-outbound-link="
  HTML https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/03/coronavirus-shows-us-america-is-broken.html">Senegal</a><br
       />with our testing regime. Senegal has developed a test that
       produces results in four hours. Our president* can&rsquo;t put
       on his shoes in four hours.</p>&#13;<p>As it happens, I&rsquo;ve
       been re-watching HBO&rsquo;s tremendous <em>Chernobyl</em>
       miniseries. There is a scene in the third installment in which
       Legasov, the nuclear scientist who is trying to break through
       the fog of official lies and stupidity, argues that the
       evacuation zone around the demolished plant be extended from 30
       km to 300 km, based on the amount of radioactivity present in
       the ground. Legasov cannot get Scherbina, the party apparatchik
       assigned to his work, to listen to him. Finally, Legasov
       explodes:</p>&#13;<blockquote class="clear">Maybe I&rsquo;ve
       just spent too much time in my lab. Maybe I&rsquo;m just stupid.
       Is this really the way it all works? An uninformed arbitrary
       decision that will cost who knows how many lives made by some
       apparatchik? Some career party
       man?</blockquote>&#13;<p>Congratulations, Republicans.
       Congratulations, conservatives. You&rsquo;re manage to make
       yourselves into the Soviet party apparatus of the mid-to-late
       1980s, when everything was falling apart and the institutions of
       government were so petrified and stultified that nobody could do
       anything at all. You&rsquo;ve dragged us all along with you,
       too. Vote them out. Vote them all out. It&rsquo;s all
       that&rsquo;s left to do.</p>&#13;<p><em><strong>Respond to this
       post on the Esquire Politics Facebook page <a
       href="
  HTML http://www.facebook.com/esqpolitics"
       target="_blank"
       data-vars-ga-outbound-link="
  HTML http://www.facebook.com/esqpolitics"
       >here</a>.</strong></em></p>&#13;<div
       class="clear">&#13;<div itemprop="author" itemscope=""
       itemtype="
  HTML http://schema.org/Person"><a<br
       />href="safari-reader://www.esquire.com/author/7884/charles-p-pi
       erce/"
       rel="author" itemprop="url"><span rel="author"
       itemprop="name">Charles P. Pierce</span> </a><span
       itemprop="description">Charles P Pierce is the author of four
       books, most recently Idiot America, and has been a working
       journalist since 1976.</span></div>&#13;</div>[/html]
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