Government labs across the country had suffered through shutdowns, pay freezes and excessive turnover in the years before the coronavirus pandemic hit, an APM Reports analysis finds. Now they're desperately trying to catch up.
But fears of a bioterrorism attack soon waned. Some state and city leaders cut funding for labs and other public health programs in the years following the 2008 recession to balance their budgets, and in some cases, those reductions were never restored — until COVID-19.
But a breakdown in supplies — including cotton swabs, chemical reagents and personal protective equipment — is hindering testing at nearly all labs. The demand will likely soon increase. Experts have said repeatedly that lifting social distancing restrictions and stay-at-home orders will require robust testing and monitoring to ensure cases don't spike once people return to work.
"This level of contact tracing will be much more intense," said Adriane Casalotti, with the National Association of County and City Health Officials."Because every minute that you're not getting in touch with [infected people] and having them self-quarantine is another minute that they may be spreading it to other people."
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