Looking at CDC's response so far:

1. Testing only 400 cases across the whole country.

2. Defective test kits which will only be fixed until Mid March

3. Hawaii now asking ask Japan(which by itself is doing a horrible job at handling the situation) for test kits because they have none, and test 0 people so far.

Doesn't seem first world to me honestly. Might have South Korea gives them some lessons as how to deal with the pandemic situation. Maybe they are transparent and honest, but I really don't want to understand much more about how little they can do.

I am watching the development almost hourly everyday and so far CDC is only giving me more reasons to panic.

We had been making due with Lab Developed Tests (LDTs). They work fine but they're only allowed to be used at the lab that developed them and we're going to need tests that can be run at hospitals.

The CDC can legally issue emergency tests that can be distributed the way we need to. But for these to be used the FDA had to issue an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). And that couldn't happen until the Health and Human Services Department (HHS) declared this was an emergency. All of which happened.

But When the HHS declared an emergency the situation is legally considered to important for LDTs to be used, which would normally be fine. But the original CDC tests had a reagent that was incorrectly manufactured. That's being fixed but last I heard the working testing kits hadn't been distributed yet.

This is sort of a huge problem because testing for a particular viral RNA sequence isn't especially hard and it should be within the capability of even a large hospital to develop their own tests, though there is a chance they'd mess up the way the CDC did. Our whole bureaucratic structure in the US isn't set up to deal with a new disease emerging quickly and we really need to fix this.

Thanks for the information. The slated bureaucracy is eye-opening.

If the outbreak started in the USA, would you expect the USA to welcome a team of Chinese Government epidemiologists?

I expect they would be allowed. The US also allows international observers for its elections as well.

And for its justice system. And its infrastructure.

The difference in transparency between China and the US is hard to overstate.

The USA is objectively corrupt from the top, have recently removed themselves from non nuclear proliferation and climate treaties .. as a country the message seems clear that USA don't care two shits about the rest of the World.

The idea Trump would open his response to an epidemic up to international inspection is just laughable - and I say his, rather than USA government's because that's how things appear to work there.

Please don't use "objectively" as a replacement for "in my opinion". The two are not the same.

You don't believe that Trump's manipulation of Ukraine, say, is a proven fact? He damn near admitted it himself.

Or do you think a president subverting the will of the legislature of their country for personal gain isn't corruption?

I wasn't expressing my opinion.

This isn't a political discussion forum.

You are expressing your political opinion about someone you dislike. You are not expressing fact. Just stop.

Trump has not even nearly as much power as you seem to think. We hear about his abuses of power because hearing ”California government implements reforms to reduce carbon emissions, in spite of Trump” doesn’t generate as much emotions as his corrupt practices.

Imagine a Chinese provincial government openly (key word openly) going against the CCP’s wishes. Or a judge, or a prosecutor.

> This is not an event for petty emotions.

If only “openly hostile” was limited to “petty emotions” that can be waved away.

Welcome to international politics. The US and Russia were in the UN together throughout the cold war -- cooperating on some issues while being at odds over others.

If only "openly hostile" was true. "open hostilities" generally means outright war or pretty close to it. Clearly something that has not been very close to happening.