Why are there so few tests available for COVID-19? Because more positive tests mean more political trouble for [redacted].

photo courtesy of pixabay.com and Erika Wittlieb

One persistent mystery of this pandemic is what happened to the federal response.  There have been numerous press reports that the federal response, since [redacted] was forced by the stock market crash to face up to the fact that people are afraid of the new virus, has been opaque, obtuse, and corrupt.  The issue of testing is one example that carries all the other federal issues with it.

Why are there so few tests available?  Why is there such a shortage of swabs, reagents, and other testing materials?  The answer is simple.  More tests means more people found to have the virus.  More people with virus means more political trouble.  Never mind that all the experts say the economy cannot be re-opened without a massive increase in testing.  No more testing can be done because [redacted] wants it that way.

Despite His best efforts, the death toll in nursing homes (to mention only the worst news so far) has forced people to face the fact that the virus is everywhere.  Nothing He can do to cover up the rate of infections will do any good, but that won’t stop Him from trying.

He is trying distractions: blame the Chinese, defund WHO.  But this reaction only creates a vacuum of international leadership into which the Chinese are only too glad to step.  International coordination has already been severely damaged by His abandonment of international accords and shabby treatment of allied democratic governments.  Now, when push comes to shove, his withdrawal has led to further discoordination and a power vacuum.  China is almost ready to take over as the world’s leading economic power, and when the we recover from this pandemic, Beijing will surely be in a better position.

Even if the origin of the virus is China’s fault, the response to it is all down to [redacted].

The bottom line is that the economy won’t get better until people get over their fear of the new virus.  The only sure way to fight that fear is with knowledge: have everyone tested to find out who had it, who has it now, and who is going to get it.  Antigen tests (the nasal swab) will show who is actively infected, and antibody tests (a drop or two of blood) will show who has developed an immunity (whether partial or total, we don’t yet know).  Only knowledge can fight fear, and there is nothing [redacted] can do to prevent us from eventually learning the truth.