WASHINGTON — The nation’s coronavirus testing capability, already straining to maintain up with demand, is going through monumental new strain, with vacation vacationers ready in lengthy traces to be examined, overworked laboratories struggling to maintain up and speedy at-home diagnostics flying off pharmacy cabinets as the Omicron variant fuels a speedy spike in Covid-19 instances.
Two years into the pandemic, the surging need for tests in the face of restricted provide threatens to thwart President Biden’s response, nevertheless it is hardly a brand new drawback. The United States has bungled testing from the outset of the pandemic, consultants say, and matching provide with demand has been a persistent problem for each the Trump and Biden administrations.
Mr. Biden got here into workplace vowing to make testing for the virus low-cost and simply accessible, and there have been some enhancements since he was sworn in. Laboratory tests are extra plentiful now, and greater than a dozen at-home tests can be found, up from zero in January. The Food and Drug Administration has sped up its approval course of, and the provide of at-home tests has elevated steadily since August; final month, it was anticipated to double by March.
But the United States stays a far cry from Europe, the place greater than three dozen sorts of at-home tests can be found for as little as $1 to $2 per check. Americans will pay as a lot as $25 for a field of two, and Mr. Biden’s plan to have insurers reimburse for these purchases is not going to take impact till mid-January at the earliest.
In Miami, cars lined up bumper to bumper this week at a drive-through check web site. In Providence, R.I., there have been no testing appointments accessible at an area CVS; these seeking to be examined have been instructed to purchase over-the-counter at-home tests.
Around the nation, retailers — each on-line and brick-and-mortar — are having bother holding over-the-counter tests in inventory. Walmart was promoting Abbott’s speedy antigen check on-line Friday, however many shops in Washington, D.C., and its Maryland and Virginia suburbs have been offered out. In Houston, the pharmacist at an area Walgreens, Hanh Ho, mentioned shipments of at-home tests arrive each Wednesday and promote out the similar day.
“They’re a hot item,” Mr. Ho mentioned. “One guy came in and took all of them.”
Reporting was contributed by Maria Jimenez Moya from Houston, Ben Berke from Providence, R.I., Eric Adelson from Orlando, Fla., and Grace Gorenflo from Seattle.
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