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The Plan That Could Give Us Our Lives Back
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The Plan That Could Give Us Our Lives Back

The US has never had enough coronavirus tests. Now a group of epidemiologists, economists and dreamers is plotting a new strategy to defeat the virus, even before a vaccine is found.

Alexis C. Madrigal and Robinson Meyer
The Atlantic, 2020
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The COVID-19 pandemic is not going to go away on its own. The only way to stem it is to test a lot of people, often, so people know who has the virus and should self-isolate. PCR tests take a long time, and detect tiny amounts of viral genetic material for months after an infected person can still transmit the virus. As Alexis C. Madrigal and Robinson Meyer report in The Atlantic, Antigen tests are better suited to quickly determine who is contagious. They can contribute to keeping society as a whole healthy and safe.

Take-Aways

  • Testing is essential to stem the tide of any pandemic.
  • PCR testing, the FDA’s gold standard, won’t stop or even slow the spread of COVID-19.
  • The technology exists for quicker, more effective testing, but regulatory hurdles and a lack of federal coordination are preventing its deployment.

About the Authors

Robinson Meyer is a staff writer at The Atlantic, where he covers climate change and technology. Alexis C. Madrigal is a staff writer at The Atlantic and the author of Powering the Dream: The History and Promise of Green Technology.

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