Making COVID-19 Testing More Accessible

“What is true now is that anyone who needs a test can get a test.” — U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services

Assistant Secretary of Health Admiral Brett Giroir of the U.S. Public Health Service, joined by Brad Smith the Director of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation of the U.S. Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services, delivers remarks at the coronavirus (COVID-19) update briefing on testing capacity Monday, May 11, 2020, in the Rose Garden of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)

As the U.S. and countries around the world continue to grapple with the COVID-19 outbreak, few bright spots have emerged.

Frequently asymptomatic or mild, highly transmissible, deadly, and difficult to track, the novel coronavirus COVID-19 has challenged the medical community, the healthcare industry and public health agencies in particular.

Disruption, errors, and supply-line issues have hampered the U.S. response at times throughout the crisis.

There is more than a little good news on the vaccine front, however; National Institute of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins just released a description of an NIH-supported phase 1 human clinical trial currently in the works. A phase 2 clinical trial is also underway and recruiting healthy adults to participate in the process.

COVID-19 testing is another bright spot. Over the past months, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has massively scaled-up testing.

“What is true now is that anyone who needs a test can get a test.” — HHS Assistant Secretary of Health…