Was she correct?

@Northwest Not sure if that second part is correct since there is also a critical shortage of tests in the US and they are also made in China.

@PicturesOfABetterTomorrow Got to agree w/ that! If we've outsourced such capabilities to China, it obviously has come back to bite us.

@PicturesOfABetterTomorrow The U. of Washington, tested 5,000 people, shortly after the first US case was confirmed. They did it in a roundabout way. The researchers at Fred Hutchinson Institute, received a profile from the CDC, that did not work, so they worked with what they received from the WHO, snd that worked.

They announced, within the community, that they're testing people, who lack insurance, for the flu. Their goal was actually identify who presents with flu symptoms, but tests positive for Corona. about 500 people tested positive for Corona.

A couple of weeks later, the CDC approved the test. The U of Washington, ramped up, from 1,200 tests per week (capacity), to 5,000. They are screaming that doctors are only sending 600 samples per week for testing.

That's just a single institution.

In Washington State the Governor ORDERED the insurance companies, to drop all deductible requirements, so anyone can get tested, as long as your doctor says you can.

Trump should not be thanking the insurance carriers, for cooperating, whatever that means, he should be ordering them to.

Target, Walgreens, CVS, and the others who showed up yesterday, to the Presidential press conference, and shook hands with Trump, all of a sudden, said that they can set up drive through testing, in their parking lots. None of them said a word about capacity. That's not the issue. It's all about the $s

@soar2newhighs [quote]If we've outsourced such capabilities to China, it obviously has come back to bite us.[/quote]

This is absolutely not the case.

@Northwest Actually if you dig into it that itis absolutely the case. Same applies to several life saving drugs required for treatment when someone crashes. Ditto for ventilators.

@Northwest Also since the insurance companies have said they refuse to waive fees for treatment for anyone not wealthy there is no point in even getting tested.

@PicturesOfABetterTomorrow Yet, a single research lab, in Seattle, can ramp up to 5,000 test kits per week, in no time at all. Outsourcing to China, does not mean that we cannot do it here. It's all about the price.

@PicturesOfABetterTomorrow [quote]Also since the insurance companies have said they refuse to waive fees for treatment for anyone not wealthy there is no point in even getting tested.[/quote]

In Washington State, they have no choice. The Governor ordered them to waive all fees.

@Northwest Just because they have 5000 kits on hand doesn't mean something is or can be produced domestically or that it is remotely sustainable.

@PicturesOfABetterTomorrow No, they don't just have 5,000 kits on hand. They are capable of producing those every week, and they can even ramp up faster, if they wanted to. They're not seeking kudos. I posted the study on here, a couple of weeks ago.

@Northwest What are you basing this on? This sounds more like a Trump boast then anything I can find backed by experts. Having worked at one most laboratories don't have manufacturing facilities.

@PicturesOfABetterTomorrow https://www.geekwire.com/2020/uw-medicine-weve-processing-400-tests-coronavirus-far-can-handle-1000-day/

I misspoke, they're up to 5,000 kits per day, not per week.

@Northwest Ok. There seems to be two things being conflated here. The number of tests that can be processed 5000 versus the number of test kits on hand. Sure they can process 5000 tests but you still need someone to create 5000 test kits. Two very different things. Just like because you can administer 5000 vaccines a day doesn't mean you have that many doses.

@PicturesOfABetterTomorrow Yet, the UW has already conducted 5,000 tests, in less than one week, for its initial run, a few weeks ago. It seems as if this particular test, does not need large manufacturing facilities, just the right "formula".

@Northwest Again processing an existing test kit and manufacturing them are two different processes just like making a vaccine and administering it are very different beasts. And sadly I would say it probably does since Washington is getting slammed and being compared to Northern Italy even with all their valiant efforts. And this thing is only expected to continue spreading.

But one thing we do agree on is cost. Since the insurance companies have gone on record even openly defying the president saying they will not eat the cost of treatment many people will refuse to get tested because they can't afford treatment anyway and will likely just see the test as a letter saying "congratulations you are going to die."

@PicturesOfABetterTomorrow Again, the UW, tested 5000 people, using its own test kits, before the CDC came out up with a working kit, and then got an emergency approval from the CDC, to start producing and using its own kit. This was about 4 weeks ago. This was a single researcher, at the Fred Hutchinson Institute, a UW affiliated institute.

@Northwest Again I have read the same thing you did and I just don't see it supporting making that conclusion. And if it was that simple it would just require sending an email with a formula to every hospital in the country and problem solved. That simply is not the case.

@PicturesOfABetterTomorrow Again, you don't get what I'm saying. The UW, made 5000 test kits, and tested 5000 people, a few weeks ago. That study is not the link I posted.

@Northwest The problem is the article you posted says they have the ability to process 5000 tests not make them. Two very different things so at best you have two sources contradicting each other.

@PicturesOfABetterTomorrow The problem is that you don't seem to be able to process. The point is whether we can make enough test kits, and the other part, is whether we can process them fast enough.

The medical research team, actually a single team, led by one researcher, with a small team, and before any emergency was declared, working without any additional resources, was able to produce enough test kits, to test 5,000 people (each person is tested multiple times).

He did not import the drugs from China, and he did not get them from CDC. In fact, what the information the CDC sent them, was bad.

This proves that the process does not involve the manufacturing prowess of the Chinese, and can scale up efficiently

@Northwest Actually it says they can process 5000 tests. There is literally no mention of production anywhere in your source.

And again if it was that simple it could be solved with an email to every lab in the country.

@PicturesOfABetterTomorrow [quote]There is literally no mention of production anywhere in your source.[/quote]

You really need to read my posts.

@Northwest I read the one you linked. IF you posted something else that says different then we have a bigger problem of contradictory information.

Ultimately it seems to be arguing over the arrangement of deck chairs though.

@PicturesOfABetterTomorrow [quote]Again, you don't get what I'm saying. The UW, made 5000 test kits, and tested 5000 people, a few weeks ago. That study is not the link I posted.[/quote]

@Northwest So you have two sources saying different things. Your point?