Thread by @AbdulElSayed

When you read #COVID19 headlines like this, the key takeaways should be that:

1) we’re not testing enough
2) we’re testing the wrong people
3) asymptomatic & low symptomatic spread are a big issue

1/
statnews.com/2020/07/21/cdc…

Our lack of testing has been a consistent problem (nevermind what the politicians tell you) since day 1.

But it’s also about *who* gets a test. A test is only as good as the info it tells you. So you don’t want to use it to tell you something you already know.

2/

For example, if I told you I had a test to tell you your eye color, would you take it? No. Because it doesn’t tell you anything new.

But testing strategy in the US has been used this way too.

Especially early on, but even now, we mostly test symptomatic ppl w/ exposure.

3/

These are mostly wasted tests because these folks are so likely to be (+). Instead, we should be testing:

1) asymptomatic people w/ exposures (the contact tracing model)

2) symptomatic ppl w/o known exposures.

This gives ppl information they don’t have and...

4/

It supports our public health response by showing us where the “smoke” is—because like a fire, with a #pandemic, where there’s smoke...

By deploying testing among these groups and tracing their contacts, we can get a handle on spread and contain it.

5/

Finally, if we know testing is usually among symptomatic ppl, & we’re missing 70-90% of cases, it means there’s a lot of asymptomatic spread going on...which is consistent w/ the massive spike among young ppl and the lagging death rate for this current wave of transmission

6/6