On Saturday, The Washington Post published a lengthy exposé of how missteps by President Donald Trump's Centers for Disease Control director, Robert Redfield, and other officials at the agency, led to a several-week delay in development of adequate coronavirus testing.
"The Washington Post reviewed internal documents and interviewed more than 30 government scientists and others with knowledge of the events to understand more fully the missteps in those early weeks as the coronavirus began to spread unchecked across the nation," reported David Willman. "Most spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to do so publicly."
In particular, said the report, "CDC leaders underestimated the threat posed by the new virus," partly because "Nearly all of those in charge at the highest levels of the CDC lacked hands-on lab expertise and for weeks deferred to subordinates — scientists who were logging grueling, high-pressure hours on the highly technical work."
Several of the scientists involved in this effort have since been removed or transferred after reports that the lab developing these kits may have had contamination issues.
Moreover, the report continued, "CDC Director Robert Redfield, an appointee of President Trump, took a hands-off approach while the in-house manufacturing efforts foundered and agency scientists clashed over whether to alter the design of the problem-plagued test, according to CDC and other federal officials."
Redfield has also come under criticism following reports he ordered officials to delete an email from a White House political official ordering the agency to "water down" reports to "match President Donald Trump's efforts to downplay the virus."
All of this contrasts with the Thai government, which had a working test for COVID-19 within hours of the World Health Organization outlining the basic theory behind creating one in mid-January. "Using their version of the WHO test, Thai health officials within days found other cases, including a taxi driver," said the report. "He had not been to Wuhan, but Pongpirul and a colleague suspected he had become infected by Chinese travelers. Thai officials traced and tested close contacts of the cabbie and others who were found to be infected. The contacts were persuaded to isolate themselves to prevent the virus from spreading."
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