Why do these people think that the inability to do millions of tests a day means failure? Furthermore---what is the basis for believing that the ability to do millions of tests a day in the US is a reasonably attainable goal? In other words, who else is doing millions of tests a day? Who else has that capability?

The short answer is nobody. Not one country is doing millions of test a day nor does any country have the ability to do millions of tests a day. We are doing about 150K tests a day and no other nation is else is even close to that number. The inability to understand that resources are finite is absolutely lost on these talking heads and governors. They need to get over the idea that the goal is "anyone who wants a test can get one". We will never be able to do that when the entire population wants a test at the same time. If there was a epidemic of stomach cancer and everyone wanted an stomach cancer test---we couldnt do 330 million stomach cancer screens at one time. We never could. Yes---You can get a stomach cancer test anytime you want it---but the reason you can is because not everyone wants a stomach cancer screening at that same time.

Below is a link to the daily testing numbers for the world. There arent a million tests a day being done in the entire world---much less one nation. We need a plan that is effective using the resources we can reasonably be expected to bring to bear---not some pie in the sky ivory tower scheme that relies on "make believe" resources we likely will never have. When H1N1 was declared a public health emergency in 2009, it took the CDC 4 months to send out 1 million tests (of which all were not even bound for the US---many went to other countries). Just in case you missed it----FOUR MONTHS---ONE million tests. Suddenly, talking heads and politicians think the US can do millions of tests a day. What the hell are they basing this expectation on? More importantly----why arent they being asked that question? Governor---where are you getting the idea that the US can produce and process millions of tests a day? That question needs to be asked every time a governor or politician blathers on about "testing testing testing". Yes---we can probably do more testing than what we are doing now---but we need to move off the idea that we are ever going to get to the point where anyone who wants a test can get one. We will eventually reach that point---but it will be because most people dont want one anymore--not because we are doing millions of tests a day.

https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/full-...ts-per-day

(04-18-2020 03:08 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  The inability to understand that resources are finite is absolutely lost on these talking heads and governors.

That is a generic problem not limited to talking heads and governors. There was a poster on the Rice board going on and on about what a "terrible" job Trump has done because the number of deaths was "astronomical." I asked him what would be a reasonable number of deaths to indicate an appropriate response. Unlike most lefties, he did answer the question. "1000." That's an absurd expectation.

The expectations around emergency response are incredibly unrealistic. We don't have anybody standing by to be boots on the ground from day one. And even if we did, it would still take a few days to get organized and up and running. But somehow there is this expectation that response will be instantaneous and all-encompassing. It just won't be. Not ever.