John Oliver on coronavirus testing in the US: ‘What the f*** happened?’

TV host went into a detailed analysis of the low testing rate in the US amid the coronavirus pandemic

Last Week Tonight host John Oliver has lashed out at the US government’s low rate of testing for coronavirus.

In the latest episode of his show, which returned after a week’s break, Oliver pointed out that there is “almost nothing more important than widespread effective testing”.

“Had testing caught the cases in this country early, we could’ve managed the virus through contact tracing and targeted quarantine,” he said. “But that did not happen, so the virus spread widely, forcing us to use the blunt instrument of making everyone stay at home.”

The TV host added that the lack of testing went to the “very heart of how we got into this situation”.

He pointed out figures that show an adequate rate of testing for the US would be 500,000 a day, while a good target is 35m. The US is currently testing around 200,000 people a day.

“What the f*** happened?” Oliver asked.

He went on to explain that diagnostic tests are key, particularly at the beginning of an outbreak, but the US committed “some critical errors” early on.

“In mid-January, the World Health Organisation recommended a diagnostic testing protocol but rather than follow it, the CDC decided to develop its own more complicated test,” Oliver explained.

These tests did not work properly due to a chemical contamination that occurred during the manufacturing process, leading to weeks of work to make them usable. Oliver called this a “huge problem”.

He also claimed there was an “arrogant belief” that coronavirus would not come to America.

“We are currently living in the consequences because of those failures,” he said.

US president Donald Trump has been the subject of widespread criticism for his leadership during the coronavirus pandemic. Earlier this week, Trump’s son-in-law and senior advisor Jared Kushner claimed “we did this quickly”, in reference to the US response, and that it had been “extraordinary”.

“Taking months to do what other countries did in weeks is not extraordinary,” Oliver responded.

“We need to scale up tests massively and right away,” he concluded. “If we want to return to the world that we are used to — testing is how we get there. That is the message that should unite everyone in this country.”