Sinema, McSally Ask CDC To Speed Up Local, AZ Coronavirus Testing

ARIZONA — Senators Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) and Martha McSally (R-AZ) and Representatives Ann Kirkpatrick (D-AZ), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and David Schweikert (R-AZ) were among 48 government officials to sign a letter Monday asking the CDC’s director for faster and local access to novel coronavirus diagnostic testing. The letter also asked that confirmed-case states such as Arizona be among those prioritized for the coveted tests to detect the virus from Wuhan, China.

The letter, sent to Dr. Robert R. Redfield, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s director, applauds the CDC’s efforts in developing a Coronavirus 2019-nCoV diagnostic test “just one week after publication of the viral genome sequence.” However, the letter says the signers’ concern is that every patient’s blood sample to be tested for coronavirus has to be sent to Atlanta, Georgia to the CDC, resulting in slowdowns.

The letter states, “[This] drastically increases the time it takes for local physicians and health officials to confirm these diagnoses. As the number of suspected cases rises, this will become an unsustainable bottleneck in the diagnostic pipeline that could hinder efforts to stop the spread of this disease.”

Local testing access is key, the letter continues. “It is essential that local health-care providers continue to devote their resources to those who are confirmed positive for the virus, and this is only possible if the test can be conducted locally and rapidly.”

The government officials say in the letter that they are aware that the novel coronavirus tests are required to pass strict quality controls regarding their ability to detect the virus. However, the letter urges faster speed in collaborating with the entity overseeing such matters. “ … We urge CDC to coordinate with the Food and Drug Administration to secure an Emergency Use Authorization for the rapid diagnostic test as soon as possible.”

Then the letter requests priority for those states (such as Arizona) with reported novel coronavirus cases. “Finally, we strongly urge the CDC to prioritize states with confirmed cases of the novel virus to receive the first available test kits. These communities have an identified risk factor for further spread of the virus, and therefore health officials need all the tools at their disposal to rapidly detect and respond to new cases.”

The letter ends with a statement of its signers’ eagerness to find out when local and state rapid diagnostic test access for novel coronavirus will occur — and how the CDC will determine test distribution priority.

One case of novel coronavirus was confirmed last week in the ASU community in Maricopa County.