1/ Another maddening piece on the testing fiasco. The FDA Commissioner, whose agency held up tests for weeks:
"One thing I will stand firm on: We cannot compromise on the quality of the tests because what would be worse than no tests at all is wildly inaccurate test results.”
"One thing I will stand firm on: We cannot compromise on the quality of the tests because what would be worse than no tests at all is wildly inaccurate test results.”
2/ OH REALLY? Does he really think, now that we're staring at the prospect of shutting half the economy down for months, that it would have been such a terrible idea to release tests with a LITTLE less vetting?
("Wildly inaccurate" is not the only alternative to "weeks late.")
("Wildly inaccurate" is not the only alternative to "weeks late.")
3/ Same guy, Feb. 26: “False diagnostic test results can lead to significant adverse public health consequences, not only serious implications for individual patient care but also serious implications for the analyses of disease progression and for public health decision-making.”
4/ Well, I'm certainly glad we avoided those SIGNIFICANT ADVERSE PUBLIC HEALTH CONSEQUENCES, aren't you? That is such a relief!
5/ And it's also great to learn that our policy for approving tests was designed to allow us to optimize public health decision-making. Since, as we all know, FLYING BLIND is the best possible way to make decisions in an emergency.
6/ The kicker, of course, is that while the FDA was holding up tests because of the horrible consequences of not vetting them completely, they did greenlight one test, the one the CDC came up with. And guess what?
IT DIDN'T WORK.
IT DIDN'T WORK.
7/ So we got all the costs of excessive caution, without even getting the one real benefit that we might have expected: TESTS THAT WORK.
I am really, really eager for the several books that will undoubtedly be written about this.
I am really, really eager for the several books that will undoubtedly be written about this.
8/ I want to know who made all these decisions, what pressures they were under from political appointees, and in what ways they chose to live out their lives in sober repentance and a quest for atonement.
9/ I also want them kept away from positions of responsibility for the rest of their natural lives.
"Significant adverse public health consequences", indeed.
😡😡😡😡😡
"Significant adverse public health consequences", indeed.
😡😡😡😡😡
