Doubts Cast on U.S. Testing Capacity

Estimates fall short of the F.D.A.’s pledge for 1 million coronavirus tests.

Health care supply companies and public health officials have cast doubt on the federal government’s assurances of greatly ramped-up testing for the virus, as complaints continue that the need for testing remains far greater than the capacity.

“The estimates we’re getting from industry right now, by the end of this week, close to a million tests will be able to be performed,” the head of the Food and Drug Administration, Dr. Stephen Hahn, said at a White House briefing on Monday.

But some companies developing tests say their products are still weeks away from approval.

And even if a million test kits were available, public health laboratories say they would not be able to process nearly that many within a week. A spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services said on Monday that public health labs currently can test 15,000 people daily, though that figure is expected to grow. (Read all)