Dr. Matthew McCarthy, who works at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, called out the Trump administration on Monday for being ill-prepared when it comes to handling the coronavirus – also known as the COVID-19.
Appearing on CNBC, Dr. McCarthy explained how his team does not have the necessary tools need to quickly diagnose patients who have symptoms of the virus.
“Before I came here this morning, I was in the emergency room seeing patients,” he said. “I still do not have rapid diagnostic test available to me.”
He then explained that the Centers for Disease Control ignored World Health Organization testing guidelines and decided to send out its own test to hospitals around the country. This turned out to be an epic blunder, however, as the CDC’s tests were so flawed that they had to tell hospitals to not use them.
“I’m here to tell you, right now, in one of the biggest hospitals in the country, I don’t have it at my fingertips,” he said. “I still have to call the Department of Health, I still have to make my case, plead to test people — this is not good!”
Dr. McCarthy then went on to note that the United States is way behind compared to other countries when it comes to testing for the virus.
“In New York state, the person who tested positive was only the 32nd test we’ve done in this state!” he said. “That is a national scandal! They’re testing 10,000 a day in some countries.”
Take a look at his remarks below:
"In New York state, the person who tested positive was only the 32nd test we've done in this state. That is a national scandal. They're testing 10,000 a day in some countries." – ER Dr. Matt McCarthy pic.twitter.com/Yvwnp96E7d
— Matt Novak (@paleofuture) March 2, 2020
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