Simply 5 weeks in the past, Los Angeles County was conducting greater than 350,000 weekly coronavirus assessments, together with at a large drive-thru web site at Dodger Stadium, as well being staff raced to comprise the worst COVID-19 hotspot within the U.S.
Now, county officers say testing has almost collapsed. Greater than 180 government-supported websites are working at solely a 3rd of their capability.
“It is surprising how shortly we have gone from shifting at 100 miles an hour to about 25,” stated Dr. Clemens Hong, who leads the county’s testing operation.
After a yr of struggling to spice up testing, communities throughout the nation are seeing plummeting demand, shuttering testing websites and even attempting to return provides.
The drop in screening comes at a major second within the outbreak: Consultants are cautiously optimistic that COVID-19 is receding after killing greater than 500,000 individuals within the U.S. however involved that