By Emily E. Volk, MD, FCAP, CNN Opinion
(CNN)The US has been on a troubling course in its fight to end the pandemic: Since the first cases of Covid-19 caused by the Omicron variant were identified in the US, case numbers have been on the rise, with hundreds of thousands of new patients diagnosed per day. Given the latest Covid spike, demand for testing is surging along with misperceptions of what it takes to perform a test, from collecting the sample to delivering a diagnosis.
It is important for the public to know Covid tests, like many other products facing delays and shortages, have been limited by supply chain shortages. Understanding this helps put in perspective the lack of availability that can arise when demand for tests peaks. It is understandable people are frustrated by resource shortages, but there is something the public can do to help right the ship: be responsible about testing correctly (which includes reporting positive at-home test results to your physician), vaccinating and taking additional safety measure like quarantining when infected with or exposed to Covid-19.
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