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    Despite Early Warnings, U.S. Took Months To Expand Swab Production For COVID-19 Test

    Widespread testing for COVID-19 is still not happening in the U.S. Although experts have been urging the federal government since February, it took until late April to ramp up production.
    by Sacha Pfeiffer May 12, 2020 5 minutes
    Medical workers prepare to use a swab to administer a coronavirus test at a drive-through center on March 21 in Jericho, N.Y.

    The Trump administration says it will now spend billions of dollars to help states make COVID-19 testing more widely available, a move meant to address months-long complaints about test shortages.

    But here's the puzzle: Many labs say they have plenty of tests. So what's the disconnect?

    Turns out a "test" is not a single device. COVID-19 testing involves several steps, each one requiring different supplies, and there are shortages of different supplies at different times in different places.

    But despite warnings about supply shortages by health experts and governors at least as early as February, the federal government took until late April to ramp up domestic production of swabs — a universal ingredient in the most common type of COVID-19 test.

    The swab test checks for active infections, unlike an antibody test, which involves drawing

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