The Way Forward For COVID-19 Testing In The U.S.

The public debate over severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, the pathogen responsible for COVID-19, has become dominated by questions about diagnostic testing. On April 24, President Donald Trump signed bipartisan legislation funding a national COVID-19 testing program with significant state and local responsibility for scale up, contact tracing and employer testing.

Despite $25 billion allocated to COVID-19 testing, major challenges will confront authorities as they seek to make accurate testing available across the country. On April 27, the White House unveiled its blueprint for coronavirus testing through a partnership involving federal, state, local and tribal governments, and the private sector.