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McDaniel is one of nearly 60,000 people who have been tested in the US, as public health experts continue to raise concerns about shortages. The Guardian’s Lauren Aratani reports that not everyone who needs a test has been able to get one:

Who is getting tested in the US?



Decisions about who is getting tested are being made at the county and state level.

Broadly, CDC guidelines to healthcare professionals say that those tested must be showing symptoms, and priority is given to those who are in hospital, are at risk for the virus’s most deadly effects (elderly people and those with chronic medical conditions or weakened immune systems) or had known contact with a person who tested positive as priorities for testing. The CDC also says those who have a history of travel from “affected geographic areas” – China, Iran, South Korea and parts of Europe – should be prioritized.

But there appears to be no guarantee of a test. Over the past few weeks, there has been a flood of stories of people who are symptomatic and should be prioritized by testing, but were not: for example, the elderly husband of a coronavirus patient who died from the illness, healthcare workers who may have been exposed to the virus and countless numbers of symptomatic travelers to countries with known outbreaks.

Those who have been tested have often described frustrating experiences of being sent from one place to another seeking a test.

Fueling the frustration are stories of high-profile figures who have managed to get tested. The NBA got 58 tests within six hours for players of the Utah Jazz, though it is unclear how many players were actually showing symptoms. A fashion influencer who had body aches and a fever was tested with the help of a friend, after other doctors she spoke with told her she did not qualify for testing in New York state.