"We aren’t testing enough," said Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL).
"Every part of the testing process needs to be sped up and improved," said Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), a key ally of the President.
Gov. DeWine says coronavirus testing is limited, and this is not unique to Ohio -- this is the case all across the country, and will, in all likelihood, remain limited. Says he wants to ask Ohioans to not FIXATE on testing, even though he understands the concern of wanting to.
— Homa Bash (@HomaBashWEWS) March 18, 2020
‘Our community needs more tests.’ Davids criticizes limit on coronavirus tests in JoCo https://t.co/7gVrlYZMZc
— The Kansas City Star (@KCStar) March 19, 2020
At the White House, officials again said testing is ramping up quickly, as they preached patience, explaining that tests are being focused in areas of need.
"You still may have difficulty getting tests in areas that do not have significant cases," said Dr. Deborah Brix, the head of the White House task force dealing with the Coronavirus.
"We've had them prioritize the regions where we need diagnosis," Brix told reporters.
But while average Americans waited, more high profile athletes in the National Basketball Association seemed to have quick access to the tests.
"Do the well-connected go to the front of the line?" one reporter asked President Trump.
"That does happen on occasion," the President noted. "And I've noticed where some people have been tested fairly quickly."
But Mr. Trump then quickly pivoted to point the finger of blame at his predecessor.
"We inherited a very obsolete system. This was a system that was out of date, obsolete, or it was a system that was never meant to take care of the kind of quantity, the number of people that we're talking about - millions and millions of people," Mr. Trump said.
Q: "How are non-symptomatic professional athletes getting tests while others are waiting in line and can't get them? Do the well-connected go to the front of the line? Should that happen?
— CSPAN (@cspan) March 18, 2020
President Trump: "No, I wouldn't say so...but perhaps that's been the story of life." pic.twitter.com/hFEty9q1a3
But those answers weren't smoothing over complaints from within the GOP.
"Every county in the US should have a mobile testing center up and running by Friday," Sen. Scott argued on Wednesday.
"No excuses," he added.
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