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From Totally Under Control:
Caroline Chen
Healthcare Reporter
ProPublica
"Because South Korea had already started ramping up diagnostic test production, they were able to seek out every member of this church in Daegu and get them tested."
Feb 2020
1/N
Caroline Chen
Healthcare Reporter
ProPublica
"Because South Korea had already started ramping up diagnostic test production, they were able to seek out every member of this church in Daegu and get them tested."
Feb 2020
1/N
Korea was testing thousands of people, an early early instance of mass testing.
They recognized that they needed to test all of the thousands of members of this church who lived in Daegu and might have been contaminated by church services that involved indoor singing.
2/N
They recognized that they needed to test all of the thousands of members of this church who lived in Daegu and might have been contaminated by church services that involved indoor singing.
2/N
Remember, this was Feb. 2020:
The US had zero capacity to test for the virus because the only test that the FDA had approved — the one from the CDC - had an assay that failed bedcause of contamination.
3/N
The US had zero capacity to test for the virus because the only test that the FDA had approved — the one from the CDC - had an assay that failed bedcause of contamination.
3/N
C Chen:
"Now this was really frustrating to a lot of lab directors because they were like, 'Look, the N1 and N2 parts of this test are working totally fine, so why don't we just ignore the part that isn't working.'"
4/N
"Now this was really frustrating to a lot of lab directors because they were like, 'Look, the N1 and N2 parts of this test are working totally fine, so why don't we just ignore the part that isn't working.'"
4/N
Response from the FDA:
- You are not allowed to deviate from a protocol just because it is not woriking
- We will look into it
- Days pass. No response from the FDA
5/N
- You are not allowed to deviate from a protocol just because it is not woriking
- We will look into it
- Days pass. No response from the FDA
5/N
Narrator from Totally Under Control
“In the US, political appointees [HHS Sec. Azar] tightened their purse strings and just hoped the virus would go away.
South Korea reacted very differently.”
6/N
“In the US, political appointees [HHS Sec. Azar] tightened their purse strings and just hoped the virus would go away.
South Korea reacted very differently.”
6/N
Victoria Kim
Seoul Correspondent
Los Angeles Times
As a result of [the failure to manage MERS, S. Korea passed a law to speed up the approval process for tests.
7/N
Seoul Correspondent
Los Angeles Times
As a result of [the failure to manage MERS, S. Korea passed a law to speed up the approval process for tests.
7/N
Narrator:
"On Jan 27, South Korean health officials summoned representatives from from twenty medical companies to put in place a national testing program. "
8/N
"On Jan 27, South Korean health officials summoned representatives from from twenty medical companies to put in place a national testing program. "
8/N
