Bird flu tests are hard to get. How will we know when to sound the alarm?

This happened early on with COVID-19. Testing was sparse and focused on those that had traveled or had known contacts with infected individuals, meanwhile there was community spread and retroactive testing of samples from blood donors found that some samples tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies even though they were collected before the first CDC confirmed infections in the US.

Scientifically speaking, many diagnostic laboratories could detect the virus. However, red tape, billing issues, and minimal investment are barriers to quickly ramping up widespread availability of testing.

Yeah, we can do the tests, but we're not going to unless old Uncle Sam starts sending us truckloads of money. It sure would be a shame if people started getting sick... Also, those new regulations "to ensure the safety and effectiveness of laboratory developed tests" are so lame. You should really do something about them if you want to have these tests done.

Labcorp, Quest Diagnostics, and other major testing companies are in the best position to manage a surge in testing demand because they can process hundreds per day, rather than dozens. But that would require adapting testing processes for their specialized equipment, a process that consumes time and money

Yeah so, we made all this tech that is entirely incompatible with the standard tests, so if you want us to start testing these people, you'll have to use our proprietary product stack throughout the entire process, start to finish. You know what they say; vertical integration, vertical profits!

There’s only been a handful of H5N1 cases in humans the last few years,” he said, “so it’s hard for them to invest millions when we don’t know the future." The government could provide funding to underwrite its research, or commit to buying tests in bulk

We're a business. We're here to make money. No, we're not prepared for a widespread outbreak. That would cost money. If you really want us to do our jobs, the government should not only pay for our existence, but also for additional bonuses and dividends to our executives and shareholders.

For real though. Corporate execs are once again holding the health of regular people hostage so they can extract ransom payments from the US government.

For-profit healthcare will always be a farce.