The backlog of Covid-19 tests in some parts of the U.S. is getting worse, not better. Our reporter @rcallimachi tracked the days-long journey of a coronavirus nasal swab from a testing site in New Jersey to a fateful phone call days later. nyti.ms/34A80Pm
The process started with patients waiting in a mile-long line of parked vehicles at a FEMA testing site, where many people arrived the night before and slept in their cars to get one of only 500 coronavirus tests given at the site each day. nyti.ms/2KefOwR 
Nurses wearing face shields and scrubs directed patients and administered nasal swabs. Patients from out of state and those with no symptoms were turned away. By midafternoon, the facility was out of tests. nyti.ms/2KefOwR
The coronavirus test samples were first taken to a New Jersey lab, but it was overwhelmed. The samples were diverted to Virginia — in all, a 24-hour journey requiring 3 vans, 6 coolers and a plane. Results can take days. nyti.ms/2KefOwR
Coronavirus tests are a critical tool in measuring the disease’s spread and a requirement for certain forms of treatment. Yet they remain hard to get, and many patients are actively discouraged from trying. nyti.ms/2KefOwR
The strain on the testing system initially came from a lack of test kits, but now there are not enough nasal swabs, not enough nurses. There is a pileup at the labs and a limited supply of chemicals needed to identify the virus. Read more from @rcallimachi
