GREEN BAY, WI — Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) today signed a letter led by Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI) to U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Stephen M. Hahn. The letter, signed by the entire Wisconsin Congressional Delegation, requested that more coronavirus testing supplies be sent to the state. The letter comes after hospitals across Wisconsin have increased testing capabilities but are unable to obtain the equipment and supplies necessary to complete testing, creating a backlog of tests with some patients waiting up to a week or more to get results.
“The testing bottleneck is creating dire consequences for our hospitals and their staff. Importantly these delays only increase the risk of COVID-19 spread. Further, they also have serious implications for the provision of health care as health care workers pulled out of the workforce may need to wait days for test results,” the Wisconsin lawmakers wrote. “While we are extremely grateful for the expedited approval FDA has given laboratories and testing suppliers, Wisconsin needs your help now to make sure the supply chain can keep up with our ability to test the public.”
In addition to requesting more supplies, the Wisconsin delegation pressed FDA Commissioner Hahn on whether or not supplies initially slated to go to Wisconsin were being redirected to other states with a higher number of confirmed coronavirus cases.
Read the full letter here.
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