Nick Lowrey, South Dakota News Watch
The ability to quickly, regularly and accurately test for the deadly coronavirus is a key component of the ability of the medical field and the public to understand the extent of the pandemic, and of government officials’ ability to adequately respond.
And yet, the testing for the presence of the virus in residents of South Dakota and around the U.S. has been plagued by a series of problems. Among them: a lack of needed testing supplies; inefficiencies in how the test is administered and how results are analyzed; and the potential inability of the test itself to accurately confirm the presence of the virus.
The consequences of those testing limitations are potentially fatal. Far more people are likely infected with COVID-19 than is known. The lack of confirmed positives has opened the door to downplaying of the depth and seriousness of the pandemic by government officials and individuals. And in some cases, the opportunity for “false negatives,” in which tests do not indicate the presence of the virus in an infected person, can lead to unnecessary spreading of the virus.
South Dakota shares same testing challenges as rest of nation
South Dakota ranks among the top 20 states in testing per capita for the virus that causes COVID-19, and while state officials tout that fact, experts say testing rates are still too low to know just how widespread the disease really is.
Of the state’s roughly 880,000 residents, about 7,100 had been tested for COVID-19 as of April 8, according to South Dakota Department of Health Data. The low rate of testing for COVID-19, though, is due almost entirely to a shortage of critical testing supplies. Similar shortages are being experienced all over the country and are forcing public health officials to put strict limits on who gets tested and when.
