[whatshisface]

The FDA had a ban on tests outside of the CDC's tiny supply for a long time. That's whats being referred to by "denying testing." Not a political issue so much as a typical bureaucratic slowdown with very real consequences.

[tic_tac]

The comment I replied to was saying that the lack of testing was indeed a political issue with one side at fault.

[inferiorhuman]

It is insofar as the FDA and CDC are controlled by the president and both agencies could make emergency exceptions.

On a phone call the day after the C.D.C. and F.D.A. had told Dr. Chu to stop, officials relented, but only partially, the researchers recalled. They would allow the study’s laboratories to test cases and report the results only in future samples. They would need to use a new consent form that explicitly mentioned that results of the coronavirus tests might be shared with the local health department.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/10/us/coronavirus-testing-de...

[roenxi]

Not a political issue? The FDA having the power to ban things known to be a good idea sounds exactly like a political issue. A pretty serious one - excessive government regulation magnifying the effect of a crisis.