Not only is the current level of testing for the coronavirus insufficient, the tests themselves are flawed. Read this summary by infectious disease specialist Michael Osterholm and a coauthor for particulars. Their key policy conclusion is
A blue-ribbon panel of public health, laboratory and medical experts, ethicists, legal scholars and elected officials should be convened immediately to set out a road map with realistic goals for testing and contact-tracing.
If we had a reliable government, it would get this done, but we don’t. Concretely, one of the main jobs of a shadow government organized by Democrats would be to assemble this group and give it a regular, high profile platform.
For well over a month.
“Pelosi: Trump ‘engaged in distractions’ amid ‘total failure’ on testing”
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/494037-pelosi-trump-engaged-in-distractions-amid-total-failure-on-testing
Why is it so hard to understand how the Federal government works, or doesn’t work?
“enate Democrats on Wednesday proposed a $30bn plan for a “comprehensive national testing strategy” that party leaders hope to include in the next coronavirus response package.
The $30bn proposal fills the void left by the Trump administration, which has yet to roll out a comprehensive federal testing plan of its own, despite the president and many of his top advisers expressing their desire to begin reopening parts of the economy in May.
Health experts have warned that reopening the economy without proper testing or “contact tracing” — the ability to track and quarantine people who have come into contact with others who have tested positive for Covid-19 — could lead to a resurgence of the coronavirus infection rate.”
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/coronavirus-testing-trump-federal-rollout-senate-democrats-money-a9467376.html
“Seattle Times: Patty Murray and other Senate Democrats push White House for broad coronavirus testing
The Stranger: How Can America Fix Its Deadly Coronavirus Testing Shortfall? Patty Murray Has a Plan for That.
Axios: “Senate Democratic leadership announced Wednesday a plan, authored by Sen. Patty Murray, that calls for $30 billion in emergency funds to bolster national coronavirus testing and contact tracing.”
LA Times: “The Democrats’ goal would be to develop a plan to ensure testing is “fast, free and everywhere,” said Sen. Patty Murray”
Washington Post: “Schumer and Democratic Sens. Patty Murray, Debbie Stabenow and Dick Durbin argued … that the Trump administration needs to expand testing to give Americans the confidence to go back to work and resume their normal lives.”
(Washington, D.C.) – U.S. Senator Patty Murray released a new policy white paper, “A Roadmap to Reopening by Ensuring a Speedy and Ubiquitous Lab Testing System (RESULTS),” that outlines Democrats’ proposals to address the Trump Administration’s failure to rapidly expand testing capacity for COVID-19.
Along with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), and Chairwoman of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee (DPCC) Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Senator Murray proposed a plan that includes:
Requiring a strategic plan to leverage a “whole of society” response;
Emergency funding to enable rapid scaling of testing and the full range of activities that support testing and maximize its impact;
Pipeline to develop, validate, and allocate accurate, reliable tests to ensure adequate supply;
Structures to administer tests in every community across the country;
Robust public health infrastructure to respond to results and better contain COVID-19; and
Transparency and accountability across the testing system.
Read the full white paper, Roadmap to RESULTS, HERE. ”
https://www.help.senate.gov/ranking/newsroom/press/roundup-senator-murray-releases-white-paper-outlining-democrats-proposal-to-ramp-up-covid-19-testing
The Shadow Government idea is what the chin stroking moderates would propose and our media would not give any space too other than publishing snarky contrarian article about its proposals. Page 402 stuff. WASFS!!!