WEBVTT - Why It's So Hard to Get a Rapid Coronavirus Test

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<v Speaker 1>It's Friday, August fourteen. I'm Oscar Emrrors from the Daily

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<v Speaker 1>Dive podcast in Los Angeles, and this is reopening America.

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<v Speaker 1>Doctor's offices, nursing homes, and federal officials are in a

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<v Speaker 1>scramble to obtain point of care COVID nineteen tests from

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<v Speaker 1>the only two companies that have emergency approval to produce them.

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<v Speaker 1>There have been some concern about accuracy with these tests,

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<v Speaker 1>but they are useful for quicker results and don't need

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<v Speaker 1>to be sent away to a lab. Sarah Krause, reporter

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<v Speaker 1>for The Wall Street Journal, joins us for more. Thanks

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<v Speaker 1>for joining us, Sarah, thanks for having me. We've been

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<v Speaker 1>talking about testing throughout this whole process of the coronavirus pandemic,

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<v Speaker 1>and one of the tests that everybody has kind of

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<v Speaker 1>been looking for these point of care COVID nineteen tests.

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<v Speaker 1>Something that you could find in a doctor's office and

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<v Speaker 1>nursing home, something like that where you can just basically

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<v Speaker 1>go take the test there and maybe twenty minutes later

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<v Speaker 1>you'd get your results. And right now we only have

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<v Speaker 1>two companies that are approved to actually make and distribute

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<v Speaker 1>these things, but there's so much demand for them. It's

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<v Speaker 1>really hard for them to keep up, right now, So

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<v Speaker 1>tell us a little bit about these sure, So these

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<v Speaker 1>are as you say, point of care tests that sit

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<v Speaker 1>you know, in a doctor's office in a nursing home

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<v Speaker 1>and deliver results in about fifteen minutes. And what I

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<v Speaker 1>was writing about in particular, are rapid response antigen tests,

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<v Speaker 1>so they are looking for virus proteins while some other

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<v Speaker 1>tests look for the virus is genetic material Um. But

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<v Speaker 1>for this particular type of tests, which represents a small

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<v Speaker 1>but growing area of COVID nineteen testing in the US,

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<v Speaker 1>there are two companies that have Emergency Youth authorization for

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<v Speaker 1>their tests. One is struggling to produce enough analyzers to

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<v Speaker 1>meet demand and the other is struggling to make enough tests. Now,

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<v Speaker 1>what is the accuracy of these I know that we've

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<v Speaker 1>seen a lot of stories about how sometimes they can

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<v Speaker 1>deliver false negatives, things like that, how do these tests fair?

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<v Speaker 1>That is still a concern um and early sort of

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<v Speaker 1>figures said that these tests had a higher chance of

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<v Speaker 1>producing a false negative than the sort of pcror molecular

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<v Speaker 1>tests that were out there at the time. Now, federal

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<v Speaker 1>officials have said that as these tests are more widely used.

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<v Speaker 1>It's becoming clear that the accuracy is more comparable, but

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<v Speaker 1>it's still a concern. Some doctor's offices have said, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>they're a little bit wary and and really because they

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<v Speaker 1>don't want to tell someone that they're negative and let

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<v Speaker 1>them go back to school or go back to work,

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<v Speaker 1>and when in fact, um they are infected. So in

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<v Speaker 1>some cases this does require a follow up molecular test.

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<v Speaker 1>So who are these two companies that are the only

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<v Speaker 1>ones authorized at this moment? If you mentioned that they

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<v Speaker 1>each have their own kind of unique problems, So tell

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<v Speaker 1>us who the two companies are sure? So one is

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<v Speaker 1>quite al corp and one is backed in Dickinson and Company.

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<v Speaker 1>And these two companies create both the test as well

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<v Speaker 1>as the analyzer or box that you insert the test

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<v Speaker 1>in to get the result. So you need that, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>as you can imagine, that ecosystem has a lot of

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<v Speaker 1>different components that all have to fit together to create

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<v Speaker 1>a system that works. And these are testing systems that

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<v Speaker 1>also run flu tests or strep tests, and some of

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<v Speaker 1>them were already in circulation prior to the pandemic. But

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<v Speaker 1>because they're such a thirst for COVID testing, particularly testing

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<v Speaker 1>that delivers results in minutes rather than days. Their systems

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<v Speaker 1>are in high demand. Um. So it's it's about being

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<v Speaker 1>able to get access to both the analyzer to run

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<v Speaker 1>the test as well as the test themselves. And now

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<v Speaker 1>one of the important questions for everything how much do

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<v Speaker 1>they cost? Because they have a unique structure with how

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<v Speaker 1>to either buy them you can lease them. Let's say

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<v Speaker 1>you know, by the box, but buy a bunch of

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<v Speaker 1>other tests for flu and strep throat, including COVID tests.

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<v Speaker 1>They have like this weird structure on how to acquire

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<v Speaker 1>these things. Yeah, there's different sales policies at each company.

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<v Speaker 1>But if we look at Quitel for example, um, they

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<v Speaker 1>sell the analyzers outright for about each or they give

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<v Speaker 1>the analyzer for free if you agree to buy a

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<v Speaker 1>certain number of tests COVID and non COVID to to

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<v Speaker 1>run on it. Um and so um. You know that

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<v Speaker 1>this is something that practices. You know, small either pediatricians

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<v Speaker 1>or doctor's offices are trying to figure out what they

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<v Speaker 1>can afford. You know, do they need to use one

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<v Speaker 1>of these companies flu tests, you know, instead of what

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<v Speaker 1>they're currently using because in buying them along with COVID tests,

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<v Speaker 1>they're able to get this machine. So there is sort

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<v Speaker 1>of a business choice that some practices that want these

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<v Speaker 1>machines are having to make, you know, and in the background,

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<v Speaker 1>the federal government has placed a large order for a

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<v Speaker 1>lot of these machines to dispatch their nursing homes where

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<v Speaker 1>there's been a lot of outbreaks and really an outbreak

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<v Speaker 1>settings or where experts say these tests are useful. Um,

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<v Speaker 1>they can help you sort of quickly identify people who

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<v Speaker 1>are infected and and then isolate and do contact tracing

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<v Speaker 1>from there. So the ability to quickly get information that

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<v Speaker 1>you can act on is the main benefit of this

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<v Speaker 1>type of test. I know right now, obviously we're facing

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<v Speaker 1>surgeon cases and a lot of places and there's the

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<v Speaker 1>need for mass testing. But do they feel that these

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<v Speaker 1>kind of point of contact tests are going to be

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<v Speaker 1>the future by basically when maybe we don't need as

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<v Speaker 1>much testing, these are the ones that they're going to

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<v Speaker 1>be using primarily, you know, I think in particularly over

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<v Speaker 1>the next several months, you know, we're going to have

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<v Speaker 1>a mix of tests. These tests, these rapid antigen tests

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<v Speaker 1>are a pretty small component of testing in the US

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<v Speaker 1>right now, but they're expected to grow rapidly. There are

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<v Speaker 1>other molecular point of care tests. You know, the habit

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<v Speaker 1>I D now is one that that folks might have

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<v Speaker 1>heard about. Um, those are also used in you know,

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<v Speaker 1>doctor's office type settings. So right now we're at this

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<v Speaker 1>moment where there are a number of new testing technologies

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<v Speaker 1>that are being brought online that will continue to diversify

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<v Speaker 1>that pool. Um, you know, so it's sort of influx

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<v Speaker 1>at this time. Most of the tests that the average

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<v Speaker 1>consumer is getting right now is a molecular or so

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<v Speaker 1>called like PCR test. And when it comes to the

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<v Speaker 1>shortages that these companies are facing, is it kind of

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<v Speaker 1>the same shortages that a lot of other testing needs

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<v Speaker 1>are you know, swabs, different things like that. Yeah, it's

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<v Speaker 1>it's swabs, and it's pure manufacture during capacity um, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>in terms of being able to crank these machines and

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<v Speaker 1>and and tests out fast enough to then dispatch to

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<v Speaker 1>all the places where they're wanted and needed. I mean,

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<v Speaker 1>it definitely seems like these rapid response tests are going

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<v Speaker 1>to be increasing in demand overall. As we mentioned doctors,

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<v Speaker 1>nursing homes, it would be great to just have something

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<v Speaker 1>so you don't have to wait days and you can

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<v Speaker 1>get that answer right away. But just like everywhere else,

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<v Speaker 1>the demand is so great and the supplies are so few,

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<v Speaker 1>it's they're just having a hard time keep up. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>And you know, I think in July, you know, when

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<v Speaker 1>you saw people waiting two weeks or even longer for

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<v Speaker 1>the results of diagnostic tests that were sent all the

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<v Speaker 1>way out to labs, it's sort of underscored the importance

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<v Speaker 1>of immediate results that you can act on and and

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<v Speaker 1>sort of have information that can lead to, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>subsequent decisions to isolate or contact trace. You know, so

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<v Speaker 1>there's a thirst for for answers quickly now. Sarah Krause,

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<v Speaker 1>reporter at the Wall Street Journal, thank you very much

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<v Speaker 1>for joining us. Thank you so much. I'm Oscar Ramirez

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<v Speaker 1>and this has been reopening America. Don't forget that. For

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<v Speaker 1>today's big news stories, you can check me out on

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<v Speaker 1>the Daily Dive podcast every Monday through Friday. So follow

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<v Speaker 1>us on I Heart Radio or wherever you get your podcast.