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Recent storms and IT issues have contributed to a decline in testing across the United States, according to the Covid Tracking Project (CTP).
But as CTP said on Twitter, the problem “is much more widespread, even in places that have large outbreaks and are opening schools, like Mississippi.”
Analysis of CTP data shows 29 states are down on testing this week compared to last: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wyoming.
- There were 731,700 new daily tests reported on Thursday.
- This was a slight rebound in testing from dropping below 700,000 daily new tests on both Tuesday and Wednesday
- This seven-day average of new tests is now 715,096. This is an 9.56% drop in testing from this time last week and the lowest seven-day average since July 13.
In California, the state has “discovered an under-reporting of COVID-19 cases due to technology issues with the electronic laboratory reporting system,” according to a statement from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH).
CDPH has a team working to address the issue and has “instructed all laboratories in California to manually report all positive cases to the local public health departments.”
In Florida, several testing sites were closed for some time as Hurricane Isaias rolled through. By Monday of this week, the Florida Department of Emergency Management said at least 15 state-supported testing sites were reopened following the weekend closure.
On Thursday, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said he wishes testing for Covid-19 in the country had worked out better.
Speaking during an interview on the POLITICO Pulse Check podcast, Fauci said, “It is very difficult. It’s been this way from the very beginning of the issue – of defending things that have to do with testing – when you’re given an example like you just gave me about waiting five to seven days. You know, I would be noncredible, and I wouldn’t be true to myself, if I say oh that’s okay. It’s not okay – period. And we need to do better. And I wish we had done better.”
Several states are showing their frustration with testing, and have entered into the Interstate Testing Compact; the goal is to ensure more and faster testing for the states involved.
The states include: Maryland, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Utah and Virginia.
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