AP finds that most states fall short of coronavirus testing thresholds even as more begin to ease restrictions on businesses and social distancing.
FILE - In this April 20, 2020, photo, a test is performed on a patient in a COVID-19 triage tent at St. Joseph's Hospital in Yonkers, N.Y. An Associated Press analysis finds that most states are not meeting the minimum levels of testing suggested by the federal government and recommended by public health researchers even as many of them begin to reopen their shattered economies.
“It’s dangerous and irresponsible,” said Lawrence Gostin, a public health specialist at Georgetown University. It was unclear how the 2.6% figure was reached. When asked about it, officials with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services described it as 2% of state populations per month without explaining the discrepancy. Officials also did not respond to questions about whether the administration has a target for how many daily tests should be done nationwide or when it would issue more details.
Louisiana and Kansas, where Republican lawmakers have been putting pressure on Democratic governors to reopen, are falling short, according to the AP analysis. In Kansas, the governor and top health administrator expect to reach the 2% mark this month. Many experts already say the national testing rate falls short of what is needed to safely ease social distancing guidelines.
Many states hardest hit by the crisis failed to reach the team’s testing recommendations, even if they were already testing more than 2% of their populations, according to an AP analysis using state-by-state figures provided by Harvard. States falling short of the Harvard numbers include many of the epicenters of the outbreak, including New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts.
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