Durbin, Duckworth Press Cdc On Shortage Of Coronavirus Test Kit Supplies

WASHINGTON—Amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak,U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today pressed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Robert Redfield for information on the potential shortage of enzymes needed for CDC coronavirus test kits. Health officials in Illinois have indicated they may not have enough testing supplies to cover their diagnostic needs over the next two weeks. Further, they have not received word from the CDC about when they will receive their next shipment of test kit supplies.

“To address this urgent public health concern, we urge you, working with other federal agencies, industry stakeholders, and state and local partners, to take expeditious action to address this supply chain issue and improve communication to our state health officials, who are on the front lines of containing this COVID-19 outbreak. It is imperative that there be no gap in our public health departments’ ability to test and diagnose COVID-19,” the Senators wrote in a letter to Director Redfield.

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Yesterday, Durbin spoke with officials at CDC about the urgent need for additional coronavirus test kit supplies in Illinois and around the country in order to improve diagnosis and treatment efforts.

There have now been three major problems with the U.S. coronavirus test kit supply: (1) initial shortages of the actual test kits; (2) problem with one of the reagents that caused inconclusive test results; and now (3) global shortage of an enzyme used in the reagent.

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