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White House COVID-19 Testing Scheme Raises Questions After Trump Diagnosis
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As more people within President Trump's circle test positive for COVID-19, the way in which the White House has handled the pandemic all along has come under sharp scrutiny.
Testing strategies promoted by the White House have also raised questions, Kaiser Health News reports:
President Donald Trump's COVID-19 diagnosis is raising fresh questions about the White House's strategy for testing and containing the virus for a president whose cavalier attitude about the coronavirus has persisted since it landed on American shores.
The president has said others are tested before getting close to him, appearing to hold it as an iron shield of safety. He has largely eschewed mask-wearing and social distancing in meetings, travel and public events, while holding rallies for thousands of often maskless supporters.
The Trump administration has increasingly pinned its coronavirus testing strategy for the nation on antigen tests, which do not need a traditional lab for processing and quickly return results to patients. But the results are less accurate than those of the slower PCR tests.
On Saturday, more questions emerged about Trump's condition and diagnosis after Trump's physician spoke of the president being "72 hours" into his diagnosis during a press conference, sowing confusion about exactly when he tested positive for COVID-19. The White House doctor has since walked back the comment, saying he misspoke.
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