Pres. Anusmouth Promised 1,000s Of Test Sites @ Wal-Mart, CVS, Etc.; 2 Weeks Later, There Are Five

[hatrack]

Two weeks ago, President Trump promised a network of drive-through covid-19 testing sites across the country where people could be tested “very safely, quickly and conveniently.” In a Rose Garden news conference, chief executives of Target, Walgreens, Walmart and CVS said they would work with the government to provide space in store parking lots.

While the four retailers have a combined 26,400 U.S. stores, this vision of a proliferation of coronavirus testing sites has yet to materialize. Walgreens and CVS have opened one site each, while Walmart last weekend opened two drive-through testing locations near Chicago. Target hasn’t opened any. Rite Aid, which joined the effort later, has opened one drive-through facility in Philadelphia.

Like much of the nation’s coronavirus response, the burden of organizing and operating these testing sites has fallen to state and local governments. On occasion, they’ve enlisted the help of private industry. But an array of logistical challenges, ranging from a shortage of testing supplies to funding, has meant only a small fraction of Americans can get diagnosed for covid-19 in a way that is routine in South Korea and elsewhere.

EDIT

A senior administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to share internal deliberations, said the administration’s initial drive-through testing ambitions had to be scaled back because of the lack of tests nationwide. Another initial challenge was trying to minimize long lines at the drive-through testing sites, this official added, so the sites were encouraged to use their own discretion to filter individuals, such as limiting tests only to first responders and medical professionals. Now that the Food and Drug Administration has approved some self-swabbing kits, the official added, retailers are working those kinds of tests into their planning.

EDIT

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/trump-promised-scores-of-big-box-retailers-would-offer-parking-lots-for-covid-19-testing-there-are-only-five-of-them/2020/03/27/ece8ab06-703a-11ea-aa80-c2470c6b2034_story.html

[dalton99a]

1. Everything that comes out of his mouth is a lie.

As usual