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A Covid Testing Crisis, Again

By the end of last year, if you needed a coronavirus test, you could get one. But when vaccines arrived, focus shifted. Many of the vaccinated felt like they didn’t need tests and demand took a nosedive. Testing sites were closed or converted into vaccination sites. And Abbott Laboratories, a major test manufacturer, wound up destroying millions. However, with the surge of the new Omicron variant, which is less susceptible to vaccines, demand for testing is back — and it is outstripping supply. Guest: Sheryl Gay Stolberg, a Washington correspondent, covering health policy for The New York Times.
Duration
35m
Broadcast on
22 Dec 2021
Audio Format
other

By the end of last year, if you needed a coronavirus test, you could get one. But when vaccines arrived, focus shifted.

Many of the vaccinated felt like they didn’t need tests and demand took a nosedive. Testing sites were closed or converted into vaccination sites. And Abbott Laboratories, a major test manufacturer, wound up destroying millions.

However, with the surge of the new Omicron variant, which is less susceptible to vaccines, demand for testing is back — and it is outstripping supply.

Guest: Sheryl Gay Stolberg, a Washington correspondent, covering health policy for The New York Times.

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For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

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This podcast is supported by TikTok. Sometimes the most interesting discoveries are the ones you weren't looking for. That happens every day on TikTok. A science experiment can spark a whole new interest. A recipe you stumble upon can become a meal you make for the people you love. And a restaurant you've never heard of might become your new favorite spot. That's the thing about TikTok. Follow your curiosity and see where it leads. Your next discovery is waiting on TikTok. From the New York Times, I'm Michael Wabarro. This is a Daily. (upbeat music) Today, as demand for COVID testing surges and vastly outstrips the supply of available tests, we look at why shortages still remain two years into the pandemic and what President Biden can do about it.
I spoke with my colleague, Cheryl Gaye-Stover. (upbeat music) It's Wednesday, December 22nd. So, the way this day really begins is with me giving Michael Simon Johnson a better mask than the light blue surgical one he had. Ooh, that is a fine fitting K and 95. Yeah, you can tell this is the real deal. Okay. Okay, so it is around 8.40 a.m. And we are standing outside of a care cube, COVID testing clinic on Court Street and Wyckoff Street in Brooklyn. And the line is quite long. It's about 40 something people on this line. And you can tell that people know they're gonna be here for a really long time because they are prepared. They have their coffee and their snacks as a woman in the front doing jumping jacks, jumping up and down to stay warm. There's a mother reading a board book to a not very happy child. This is a really long line. I mean, this is a dishearteningly long line. It's gonna suck. (upbeat music) - Can we talk to you guys? We're from the New York Times. - Sure. - Do you have a minute?

Transcription truncated.

By the end of last year, if you needed a coronavirus test, you could get one. But when vaccines arrived, focus shifted. Many of the vaccinated felt like they didn’t need tests and demand took a nosedive. Testing sites were closed or converted into vaccination sites. And Abbott Laboratories, a major test manufacturer, wound up destroying millions. However, with the surge of the new Omicron variant, which is less susceptible to vaccines, demand for testing is back — and it is outstripping supply. Guest: Sheryl Gay Stolberg, a Washington correspondent, covering health policy for The New York Times.