Ignoring warnings by experts that a comprehensive program is required to ensure Americans get back to their normal lives, President Donald Trump says the country neither needs nor will ever have mass coronavirus testing.
As far as combating the coronavirus pandemic is concerned, the American government has constantly been facing problems arising out of a lack of testing for the virus. The only feasible solution to ensuring the country reopens the economy without experiencing a second wave of infections involves fixing this deficiency and creating more antibody testing to identify people who have had the infection and are less likely to get it again.
Moreover, this could also help determine which workers can go back to doing their jobs, and those who are still likely to pose a risk of infection, CNN Politics reported. While Trump continues to claim that the problem is fixed, the unceasing lack of a reliable testing program is raising strident new questions about the White House's ability to manage the situation.
Not only did the administration failed to identify the extent of the pandemic before it was too late, but it has also been slow to create testing programs as well. In short, the administration hasn't proved yet that it can come up with an effective solution for the crisis.
The new testing debate started following a grim week which saw thousands on Americans succumbing to the deadly virus. Over an alarming 462,000 people in the United States are now infected and more than 16,000 Americans have already died.
The administration's optimistic talks about the virus peaking specifically in some hotspots in the country can't divert people's attention from these disturbing figures. An estimation cited by the White House this week lowered the total number of people likely to die due to the virus to 60,000.
Local and state leaders, as well as medical professionals, on the other hand, suggest testing isn't adequately widespread. To make things worse, they say the testing isn't fast enough to determine the full penetration of COVID-19 in the community.
People who get sick aren't usually tested until they go to a hospital. As a result, many Americans died even before it was confirmed that they have been infected. Countries such as South Korea and Germany have conducted heavy testing to put a lid on the spread of coronavirus.
Trump's leadership during these difficult days will play a vital role in ensuring he gets reelected as the POTUS again. Regrettably, all he does is shrug off these questions.