This article was written by an amateur that does not understand preventive medicine. He admitted is not an expert and he proves it multiple times in the article. The author makes the statement "Generalized testing and two weeks of lockdown could work, but the latter without the testing may be insufficient. Unfortunately, the United States is going down the wrong path. "
Italy basically tested everyone, locked towns down, and then rationed care away from the elderly. Currently, we have a lower fatality rate, but that may change as we get more infections. Our rate was high when it got into a few closed, at-risk populations (nursing homes). Once it "escaped" into general pop, our rates dropped.
We do not have enough test kits to do mass viral test kits. It is not that the US is "slow to respond", but rather limited resources cause by overuse of test kits and swabs. The biggest problem in the US is that the test requires the same swabs as Influenza and often provider tests for both Covid and Influenza on the same patient. Because of our culture and desire to be tested for everything, we have over-tested for Influenza even when unwarranted. We are short test swabs and kits because of inappropriate testing.
The fact is that testing does not prevent infections nor change treatment. The lockdown is the key to prevention. The testing we are doing in the United States is the test those who are more likely to be positive rather than everyone. Once you confirm infections, some would recommend that we can assume symptoms consistent with COVID are COVD. You lock the town down based on suspected cases. I have recommended this in my community and time will tell if it will work.
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