The Trump administration is weighing a new testing strategy as coronavirus cases mount: testing groups of people together.
Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told me in an interview last night that health officials are having “intense discussions” about what’s known as “pool testing.” The idea is that by testing samples from many people all together, officials could test more people with fewer resources. And those who are infected could be more quickly found and isolated.
Pool testing would allow officials to cast a much broader net to find cases faster.
It would represent a dramatic shift from how coronavirus testing is currently being carried out in the United States – but one that may be sorely needed as virus hot spots worsen and new ones appear.
“Something’s not working,” Fauci said of the current approach. “I mean, you can do all the diagramming you want, but something is not working.” Continue reading.