Contradicting Trump, Obama Medicare Head Andy Slavitt Says Coronavirus Tests Won’t Be Widely Available For 2 Months

Andy Slavitt, former Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for President Barack Obama, tweeted Monday afternoon that the estimated time for adequate tests for the coronavirus to be distributed nationwide is eight weeks.

Slavitt said, “Because we can’t get a straight answer from the Trump Administration, I have checked with lab companies. The best estimate is it will be 8 weeks before we have all the nationwide testing we need.”

This contradicts previous statements by President Donald Trump, who earlier this week said, “Anyone who wants a test can get a test.”

Trump was quickly corrected by Alex Azar, the health and human services secretary, at a White House briefing. “You may not get a test unless a doctor or public health official prescribes a test. That is our medical system in the United States, in the same way that you may not get a cardiac medicine if your doctor doesn’t prescribe that.”

Slavitt continued, “If lab workers become ill, entire labs will need to be shut down, delaying production further. It is seeming critical to me that this workforce effectively self-quarantine.As we ramp testing over the next weeks, we need to prioritize the tests to the highest priorities: front line workers, clinicians, first responders, and the like.”

This will likely raise concerns as coronavirus cases reach over 115,000 globally.