U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) is calling on the Trump Administration to develop a comprehensive COVID-19 testing strategy as part of its efforts to reopen the economy.
Pallone, chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, is concerned that the Trump Administration appears to be abandoning its responsibility to develop a national testing plan. This could lead to a resurgence of the coronavirus outbreak, he said.
“As President Trump continues to push for relaxing social distancing guidelines and quickly reopening society, I am increasingly concerned about the lack of widespread testing in the United States, and what the ramifications will be if social distancing efforts are prematurely eased without robust testing in place to detect the spread of COVID-19,” Pallone wrote to Coronavirus Task Force Coordinator Deborah Birx.
The White House released guidelines last week for state and local officials to reopen their economies. However, the document did not include a national strategy or even outline how the Administration would expand the nation’s testing capacity.
“Instead of showing leadership, competence, and vision in a time of crisis, it appears the Trump administration is abdicating its responsibility and forcing states and communities to fend for themselves and find their own way out of this pandemic,” Pallone wrote.
Public health experts, including current and former Trump Administration officials, agree that a national testing strategy is a critical part of safely reopening society. He cited an internal document drafted by Trump Administration officials that the Washington Post obtained that said, “reopening will entail a significant risk of resurgence of the virus. Reopening is therefore conditioned on: confidence that incidence of infection is genuinely low [and] a surveillance system that is well functioning and capable of promptly detecting any increase in incidence[.]”
Pallone said the United States is conducting fewer tests per capita than many countries, including Germany, Italy, Canada, and South Korea. At present, only about one percent of the nation’s population has been tested.
“The Administration must develop and release a comprehensive and strategic testing plan, including the strategy for increasing diagnostic and serological testing capacity, the types and levels of testing necessary, benchmarks with clear timelines, the estimated costs involved in implementing such a plan, and specific guidelines to ensure adequate testing in rural and other underserved areas,” Pallone continued. “It is critical this plan also involve testing capacity in non-health care settings in order to help expand testing availability and make testing more accessible. Without such a plan, our response to COVID-19 will be greatly hindered and may pose severe consequences for communities across the country.”
Pallone requested answers regarding what the Administration’s plans are for expanding testing and revising guidance on social distancing and reopening the economy; what diagnostic testing capacity is sufficient to reopen the economy and how the Administration plans to reach that capacity; what the Administration’s current estimates are for the daily amount of tests it will have the capacity to administer by May 1 and then monthly through December 2020; and what the Administration’s plan is to ensure the validity of, and expand access to, serological tests.