The testing numbers in the US that is of the most concern is their health workers 300 tests per 10,000 workers... that is what is scary.
Point is we are so lucky here that our gifts (both Fed and State) are putting us the community first with our testing.
Other nations especially the US are not as lucky
And yes been to NYC (love Brooklyn) so well aware of the living arrangements in the bproughs)
Few other countries about as good as us, and some better than us.
The country has a shortage of swab kits.
I have an email from DHHS basically saying to ration the tests and narrow case definition because of the dire shortage of swab kits.
A lot of countries in their flu season (such as the USA) probably don't have the stock available either because the swab kit is the same as the flu kit and they were probably swabbing lots of people for flu prior to the pandemic already.
Poses a challenge for Australia moving into the colder months and seasonal flu period. If we don't secure a supply or increase manufacture of swab kits locally then we will run out and it will be almost impossible to determine which patients have flu and which have COVID-19. I think Aus produces about 60,000+ kits/month? No idea if that's a 40hr/week factory but if it could theoretically work 24/7 we could possibly produce 250,000/month.
Need to get onto the COVID-19 ASAP before flu season muddies the water.
Peak of COVID-19 is predicted to hit around August and ICU beds to increase 2-3x fold but so far it's looking like we have started the flatten the curve and will actually be OK.
Can't get complacent though! Elsewise the curve steepens again...