Which I hope the makers here are thinking about how people will behave. I would be tempted to only show places that were basically testing anyone on a map and then provide per state/jurisdiction information about figuring out whether it's worth going somewhere otherwise.
Figuring out where to go to provide a sample is the easy part.
This idea seems like it would only be useful when coupled w a screening app that asks questions, give your temp and O2 oximeter reading, then provide locations, but even then, each county of each state has a completely different protocol for scheduling.
Early in the process of sourcing data for this project, we realized that the CDC guidelines are used as a starting point, and that other factors come into play that are less transparent to the public. For example, there are still many states with extremely limited capacity. In those areas, public health departments have been forced to create lists of patients that would be tested immediately if it were possible. Lacking sufficient testing capacity, they prioritize the list of persons under investigation (PUI) using criteria that they develop internally through a collaborative effort with key stakeholders.
On our site, you will note that there are pockets of the country with lots of testing options. But that doesn't mean that testing is easy to come by. We learned that those areas are enriched for academic medical centers and large hospital systems that have been granted FDA approval for their own (custom) version of the COVID-19 test. Through strategic partnerships with community-based medical groups that predate the pandemic, patients in the broader community benefit from direct access to testing services. But the the problem has resurfaced: the demand for testing is already exceeding supply, and we witnessed the turnaround time for test results grow from 4 hours -> 12 hours -> 24 hours -> 4-5 days since we began this project exactly 7 days ago.
Make no mistake about it: the testing problem is far from resolved. Screening tools are a stopgap designed to lessen the mental anguish experienced by those who are tasked with rationing a (literally) vital resource. We will continue to explore ways to incorporate them into our project, but will approach the decision mindful of our commitment to empower everyone with the information they need to flatten the curve. To the extent that screening tools have thus far played a role in obfuscating where we are on the curve, you can rest assured that, if a screening tool finds its way onto our site, it will serve a greater purpose for a greater number of people.
Most of the locations are by appointment - even that is still hard to get. We need to make that clearer up front so thanks for the feedback both of you.