[SirFozzie]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

Has there been an explanation for the lack of tests and testing? Is it a supply issue? Coordination issue? It really seems like South Korea is doing an amazing job handling this. Their death rate is remarkably low compared to other areas of the world.

Coronavirus in South Korea: How 'trace, test and treat' may be saving lives - BBC News

Coronavirus Test Kits | Covid-19 Test Kits | Coronavirus Testing

(bit from the article)

There's a massive shortage of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) test kits in the U.S., as cases continue to skyrocket in places like Seattle and New York City. This is largely due to the failure of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to distribute the tests in a timely fashion.

But it didn't have to be this way. Back in January and February—when cases of the deadly disease began aggressively circulating outside of China—diagnostics already existed in places like Wuhan, where the pandemic began. Those tests followed World Health Organization (WHO) test guidelines, which the U.S. decided to eschew.

Instead, the CDC created its own in-depth diagnostics that could identify not only COVID-19, but a host of SARS-like coronaviruses. Then, disaster struck: When the CDC sent tests to labs during the first week of February, those labs discovered that while the kits did detect COVID-19, they also produced false positives when checking for other viruses. As the CDC went back to the drawing board to develop yet more tests, precious time ticked away..