XPost: alt.fan.rush-limbaugh, sac.politics, alt.politics.liberalism   
   XPost: alt.politics.trump   
   From: bksherman@latimes.com   
      
   ALBANY, N.Y. — Gov. Andrew Cuomo called on the Trump   
   administration Friday to invoke the Defense Production Act to   
   drastically ramp up production of testing that Cuomo says is   
   integral to jumpstarting New York’s economy.   
      
   "We have 9 million people we want to get back to work,” Cuomo   
   said during his daily briefing at the Capitol. “You're going to   
   need government intervention to make that happen. And the   
   federal government is in the best position to do that.”   
      
   The state Department of Health has begun making hundreds of   
   antibody tests — which can be used to detect people who had been   
   infected with the virus but recovered and built up immunity. It   
   will be producing up to 2,000 per day in the next two weeks. By   
   comparison, New York is testing more than 25,000 people a day   
   now for the coronavirus.   
      
   But Cuomo said that’s “a drop in the bucket” relative to what   
   would be needed to get millions of people back to work in any   
   meaningful capacity, particularly if the neighboring states of   
   New Jersey and Connecticut are factored in.   
      
   “Even with our high capacity and high performance on testing,   
   it's still not enough,” Cuomo said. “It's not enough if you want   
   to reopen on a meaningful scale and reopen quickly. So the   
   testing front is going to be a challenge for us.”   
      
   Cuomo has said that widespread testing is crucial for society to   
   be able to return to a sense of normalcy while still minimizing   
   the potential of a “second wave” of coronavirus cases. There   
   have been more than 170,500 cases in New York, according to its   
   most recent figures, far more than any other state in the   
   country.   
      
   The Democratic governor said that the DPA should also be used to   
   scale up availability of so-called rapid testing, which provides   
   coronavirus results in a matter of minutes, rather than days   
   using the current testing kits.   
      
   Cuomo said New York will be forming a partnership with its tri-   
   state counterparts to help facilitate testing and bring the   
   economically vital New York City metro area back online. The   
   regional approach has been integral to Cuomo's concept of how to   
   get the state's economy back up and running.   
      
   “If you are willing to step in and use the federal powers, New   
   York state and New Jersey and Connecticut will partner with the   
   federal government and let's get the testing up to scale   
   quickly, so we can start to build that bridge to reopening the   
   economy," he said.   
      
   New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said Friday he has spoken   
   “conceptually” with Cuomo about the idea of a consortium, but   
   had not specifically discussed New York’s antibody test with him.   
      
   “We have had directional discussions about needs to coordinate   
   as we get back on our feet,” Murphy said during his press   
   briefing on Friday. “Antibodies [testing is] part of that in the   
   sense we need to make sure we have the right health care   
   infrastructure at our disposal, not just in New Jersey but in   
   our region.”   
      
   The Trump administration has been hesitant to fully embrace the   
   sweeping authority afforded under the Korean War-era law, though   
   it has increased its use in recent weeks to spur private   
   companies to produce more ventilators and other vital medical   
   supplies. Cuomo had previously railed against President Donald   
   Trump's reluctance to use the DPA for ventilators.   
      
   Cuomo has no clue what is going on in his own state.   
      
   https://www.politico.com/states/new-   
   york/albany/story/2020/04/10/cuomo-calls-on-trump-to-invoke-dpa-   
   for-antibody-tests-1274804   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)