White House press secretary Jen Psaki announced an investment of $137 million of taxpayer money to help expand production on a key ingredients for making at home tests to support making an additional 1 billion tests a year”:
today 2 new at home tests were approved to hit the market which will expand access to millions & an addl $137 million investment was announced to help expand production on a key ingredients for making at home tests to support making an additional 1 billion tests a year.
— Jen Psaki (@PressSec) December 30, 2021
First up, one billion tests is . . . not a lot:
One billion a year sounds like a big number but it’s three per person. https://t.co/p1oeHNz555
— Annalisa Merelli (@missanabeem) December 30, 2021
But, more importantly, if we need the test NOW what good does this do?
And after the government contracting and procurement process, exactly when will those be available to the general public? 2024? Yeah, that's what I thought. https://t.co/7mFwdwBTyQ
— Michael D. Brown (@MichaelBrownUSA) December 30, 2021
Details on the investment here:
More news: DoD is investing into domestic manufacturing of nitrocellulose membrane for point-of-care Covid-19 tests. pic.twitter.com/Fun53O3Ih2
— David Lim (@davidalim) December 29, 2021
Dr. Anthony Fauci also said that Omicron cases should peak in one month, so there is no long-term need for tests:
Fauci predicts omicron Covid wave will peak in U.S. by end of January https://t.co/u21OV5F1Yn
— CNBC (@CNBC) December 30, 2021
But it’s even worse than that. There is literally no shortage of rapid tests anywhere in the developed world but in the United States. All the FDA has to do, right now, is allow tests already approved for sale in Europe (at much lower prices) to be sold here in America and the supply problem is fixed:
On the left, what you see if you try to buy rapid tests at CVS. On the right, what you see if you try to buy rapid tests at Amazon Germany.
Thank you, FDA. pic.twitter.com/5Y6Vzyy9Jf
— James Surowiecki (@JamesSurowiecki) December 29, 2021
Germany has more than 70 different manufacturers who've had rapid tests approved, and Germans complain if tests cost more than $3 a pop. In the US, only a small number of tests have been approved, and the cheapest cost $14 for a box of two.
— James Surowiecki (@JamesSurowiecki) December 29, 2021
Rapid testing isn't a panacea. If it were, Europe wouldn't have seen a huge surge in cases over the past two months. But it's a useful tool for limiting spread, and the fact that we've been left to scrounge for tests is a profound failing of the FDA and of two White Houses.
— James Surowiecki (@JamesSurowiecki) December 29, 2021
Now, maybe we can get some journos to ask about this?
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