Yes. Now imagine how many of the 176,000 would be alive if widespread testing would have been available in January.
What does that have to do with football? Why hijack the thread?
Regardless, obody was going to have widespread testing in January...laughable.
Jan. 3
A Chinese official officially informs CDC Director Robert Redfield of the outbreak. Redfield relays the report to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, and Azar notifies the Trump administration of the outbreak of the coronavirus.
Jan. 7
The CDC begins planning for tests.
Jan. 8
The CDC issues a health advisory informing state and local health departments about the outbreak and requesting that health-care providers ask patients with severe respiratory disease about travel history to Wuhan.
Jan. 12
Chinese authorities submit to the World Health Organization the gene sequence data of the novel coronavirus, which is shared globally.
Jan. 15
The first known person in the United States to be infected with the virus arrives in Seattle from China.
Jan. 17
Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the CDC, says that Japan and Thailand are already using the genetic sequence to detect cases, adding: “We at the CDC have the ability to do that today — but we are working on a more specific diagnostic.’’
Jan. 20
A report from the CDC references the first positive case of the coronavirus in the United States.
The CDC's laboratory test kit for the new coronavirus. (CDC/AP) (AP)
Jan. 21
A Seattle man who had recently traveled to Wuhan is confirmed as positive for the coronavirus, becoming the first known infection case on U.S. soil. Messonnier says the CDC’s test kit was used to confirm the diagnosis of the man.
Technicians begin assembling a new batch of test kits, to be sent to 26 public health labs. In coming days all but two of those labs observe false-positive reactions that invalidate the test results.
Jan. 24.
The CDC shares the details of the U.S. test publicly.
Jan. 27
The CDC raises its travel warning to the highest level, urging U.S. citizens to avoid all nonessential travel to China.
Jan. 28
Azar touts the CDC test development: “This was really a historic accomplishment. Within one week — within one week, the CDC had invented a rapid diagnostic test.”
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar speaks at a news conference on Jan. 28 in Washington. With him, from left, are CDC Director Robert Redfield, CDC official Nancy Messonnier and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony S. Fauci. (Patrick Semansky/AP)
Jan. 30
The WHO declares the outbreak a “public health emergency of international concern.”
Jan. 31
The United States declares a public health emergency, triggering “emergency use authorizations.” Although this process is designed to speed the development of diagnostic tests and intended to keep the quality of testing high, it would eventually lead to delays in the development of coronavirus tests at clinical labs. The policy discouraged labs from developing in-house testing because it required the approval of the FDA to do so.
March 11 WHO declares a pandemic
