Mass testing could cost up to $300 billion over two years, but this is 'dwarfed by the economic cost of continued collective quarantine of $100 to 350 billion a month,' said the authors of a report published by Harvard.
In order for social distancing measures to be eased without a spike in infections, five million tests must be carried out each day in the U.S. by early June, the authors said. According to the Oxford University-run Our World in Data, the U.S. has carried out four million coronavirus tests since the outbreak started in late 2019.
This would allow the country to"steadily reopen the parts of the economy that have been shut down, protect our frontline workers, and contain the virus to levels where it can be effectively managed and treated until we can find a vaccine," they said. A medical professional administers a test for coronavirus at a drive-thru test site on April 18, 2020 in Springfield, Tennessee.The experts warned:"If we rely on collective social distancing alone to tide us over until a vaccine is available, the economy will be shut down on and off for 12 to 18 months, costing trillions of dollars.
The cost of delivering testing and tracing at such a scale"will require a rapid coordination of business activity unprecedented since World War II" and will cost $50 to 300 billion over two years." The COVID-19 pandemic, the experts warned,"is a profound threat to our democracy, comparable to the great depression and World War II.
Practice safe removal of face coverings by not touching eyes, nose, and mouth, and wash hands immediately after removing the covering.Clean hands frequently with soap and water, or alcohol-based hand rub.
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