Wouldn't it have been cheaper?

[mark46]

The test wasn't available. Tests for viruses are specific to that virus. Once the virus was discovered a test could be made. After the test is created it then has to manufactured. Times 300 million in the US alone.

What you are proposing is physically impossible.

????
Are you suggesting that the WHO test used by South Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan was ineffective?

Trump was ahead of the rest of the West when he instituted travel bans in January and formed a task force. He COULD have appointed Pence head in January, started securing tests in January, and started producing supplies in January. That he has not required more production from industry even now is malfeasance. Trump needs to turn this over to the Public Health Service, and give the orders to increase production. They are military and are capable of doing a fine job.

Trump is right regarding the European travel ban. I expect that all of Asia needs to the same, including Japan.
====
In the end, Trump simply refuses to believe his experts (as has been the case for 3 1/2 years). Doctors and nurses need to stop working without effective masks. Otherwise, we will have even fewer doctors and nurses when we need them in a couple of weeks.

 

[SoldierOfTheKing]

Says the person who claims the death toll won’t reach 3 figures.......as the total passes 200...

Says Dr. Fauci.

 

[Allandavid]

Says Dr. Fauci.

Oh, Dr Fauci said the death toll wouldn’t reach 3 figures...??

I’m pretty sure it was YOU. But it’s very Trumpian of you to shift the blame...

 

[Allandavid]

Ouch...!

The death toll has now reached 450...well ahead of a doubling growth. If it hits 800 by this coming weekend, the exponential growth I spoke about earlier will be exceeded...

 

[SimplyMe]

That's something Joe Biden said. Falsely of course. The man doesn't know what year it is but people are spreading his senile statements all around the internet.

Biden Falsely Blames Trump Administration For Rejecting WHO Coronavirus Test Kits (That Were Never Offered)

Your link doesn't agree with you. He didn't make Biden's claim, that we rejected testing kits -- his claim was, "The test was available. The Trump administration refused the offer." The fact is, the "WHO test," Germany's version of the test, was available for the US to start manufacturing on Jan 17. The US chose not to use it and, per your link, waited until we developed our own test on Jan 28 -- we lost almost 2 weeks.

Of course, then because of a "manufacturing defect," it was another month before we had working tests -- and those faulty tests caused issues as some people thought they didn't have COVID when they actually did.

I'm not saying that the US should have quit developing their own kit once they could have used the German test was available -- but it makes far more sense for at least one source to start manufacturing the "German test" until we had developed our own. Additionally, if we had done that, we could have ensured our test was better -- such as being able to get results faster -- and not had to rush our test out, which likely was a part of the "manufacturing defect."

We definitely would have had working tests available faster; again, almost two weeks sooner -- and likely even had working tests as much as a month sooner. More importantly, we would have likely had enough test kits to test everyone in early March (or sooner), rather than only being the last week or so that we've started getting enough test kits to test those who have symptoms.