‘Our community needs more tests.’ Davids criticizes limit on coronavirus tests in JoCo
Rep. Sharice Davids criticized Wednesday the decision to limit testing for coronavirus in Johnson County, the state’s most populous jurisdiction, where the bulk of Kansas cases have been identified.
Davids, D-Kansas, primarily directed her ire at President Donald Trump’s administration, saying that its “failure to lead on this is now forcing Kansas to take away tests from the areas that need it most.”
The congresswoman’s comment came hours after Kansas Secretary of Health and Environment announced that because of the limited supply of COVID-19 test kits only Johnson County residents who are hospitalized with symptoms will be tested for the virus.
Norman explained that there is already evidence of community spread in Johnson County, where 12 cases of the novel coronavirus have already been identified. Adjacent Wyandotte County has identified five cases, including one death.
Davids represents both counties. She said she would push both the Trump administration and Gov. Laura Kelly’s office for more testing in her congressional district.
“With the greatest number of coronavirus cases in Kansas being in Johnson and Wyandotte Counties, our community needs more tests, not less, and we need them now,” she said. “I’ll keep pushing for this Administration and the Governor’s office to prioritize the health and safety of the Third District.”
While Davids was more explicit in her criticism of Trump, her decision to speak out against the Kelly’s administration represents a rare disagreement between the state’s top two Democrats who campaigned together in 2018 and have coordinated closely on coronavirus up to this point.
“The science is clear: the best way to prevent the spread of this virus is to make sure those who have it are aware and can act to protect themselves and others around them,” Davids said in her statement, which also urged Kansans to practice social distancing and to thoroughly wash their hands to stop the spread of the virus.
Davids is not the only local lawmaker to raise concerns about a lack of test kits in the region. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Missouri, spoke out on the issue earlier this week.
Rep. Roger Marshall, R-Kansas, on Monday criticized the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for not producing enough test kits, but he stopped short of criticizing Trump.
“I think the CDC has fallen short. They’ve dropped the ball. But those are career professionals that have been there,” said Marshall, who represents western Kansas. “They had promised me that we’d have 2 million kits by now and I can’t find them in Kansas.”
