Some testing centers, such as the New York area’s City MD, have had to shut sites due to a lack of workers, causing long lines in others, they say.
US infections have doubled since early November to a seven-day average of more than 150 000 cases per day, according to a Reuters tally.States where infections are climbing such as Ohio and Texas also said they were struggling to keep up with demand. In healthcare and social work, about 8.3% of jobs are vacant based on October federal data, about 1.5 percentage points above the overall rate.
The White House has invested $3 billion since September with the aim of quadrupling US production of rapid at-home tests to 200 million per month by December. The White House on Tuesday said it will open testing centers across the country, starting with one in New York City before Christmas. Thermo Fisher said it is boosting its supply from around 5 million COVID-19 tests per week in October to as much as 20 million by the end of the year.