UPDATE 1-Only three U.S. states can test for coronavirus

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is still handling the bulk of testing for the coronavirus as it works out issues with test kits sent to states, and the federal agency is taking steps to prepare for local spread of the virus, agency officials said on Friday. The World Health Organization has warned that the window of opportunity to contain the international spread of the epidemic was closing after cases were reported in Iran and Lebanon. The virus has emerged in 26 countries and territories outside of mainland China.

Testing capacity is critical, but Reuters has learned that only three U.S. states have the capacity to run tests for the virus locally. All other states must send their results to the CDC for testing, the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) told Reuters on Friday. Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, told a news conference the agency is working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to work out issues with test kits for use in diagnosing patients in their states of residence.

Messonnier said the CDC has not had any problems with the quality of tests it is using and said "there is no lag time for testing" at the agency. The CDC last week said some of the testing kits sent to U.S. states and at least 30 countries produced "inconclusive" results due to a flawed component and the CDC planned to send replacement materials to make the kits work.

Scott Becker, executive director of APHL, which represents public health laboratories in the United States, said only California, Nebraska and Illinois have the ability to run the tests. All other states must send them to the CDC, which means it can take 24 to 48 hours from the time a patient sample is taken to the test result. Becker said the CDC has set up surge testing capacity until new testing kits become available.

"We still consider it a priority to get those kits out closer to patients as soon as possible, but it is overridden by the priority to make sure the test is correct," Messonnier told the briefing. Given the continued spread of the virus, the CDC said it has begun working with state and local health departments to roll out plans in preparation for community spread of the virus, which is not happening now. But Messonnier said it is "very possible and even likely" to happen in the future.

"If you're watching the news, you may be hearing about schools shutting down and businesses closing in countries in Asia to reduce the potential spread of this virus. The day may come when we may need to implement such measures in the U.S. communities," she told the briefing. By next week, the CDC expects to post a new web page on what the agency is doing to mitigate transmission in U.S. communities, she added.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)