Right now, millions of people depend on the testing department. The whole of America is on edge wondering if they have COVID-19 and if today is the day their entire life will change. The virus has already taken the life of 200,658 people and the numbers are still increasing. Taking precautions like wearing a mask, staying 6 feet apart from another person, and staying at home if you have COVID-19 is crucial. However, the government may not be doing their part in this outbreak to keep it under control. 

The president responded notably late to the pandemic compared to other countries. While some countries took extensive measures to eliminate COVID-19 and keep their cases as low as possible, President Trump only started taking the minimum precautions when there were more than 2000 confirmed cases. To respond to this outbreak he “sought to assure Americans that the increase was, basically, an illusion, created by an increase in testing for the novel coronavirus.” The president making absurd claims about COVID-19 being a hoax and calling for testing to be slowed down has impacted all states dramatically.

On Aug. 12, abc news reported that the “North Carolina Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) reported that they had received 283,500 vials of unusable material from the federal government over the last few months.” The material that had arrived was “potentially contaminated and unusable”. Swabs and proper gear to shield doctors have been running short and now, when testing materials are needed the most, they are unusable. 

Recently, due to the lack of supplies, testing issues have dramatically increased. On Sep. 15, local news, WRAL, published an article about how, “A county in North Carolina incorrectly told nearly 7,000 residents they had tested positive for the coronavirus due what officials say was a technical glitch.” These types of errors in the testing department are alarming for all those residents, and does nothing to soothe their fears.

With President Trump undermining COVID-19, the government’s low funds for testing, and repeated errors with handling the pandemic, the numbers of deaths are not anywhere near slowing down.