‘It’s Just Everywhere Already’: How Delays in Testing Set Back the U.S. Coronavirus Response

A series of missed chances by the federal government to ensure more widespread testing came during the early days of the outbreak, when containment would have been easier.

Dr. Helen Y. Chu, an infectious disease expert in Seattle, knew that the United States did not have much time.

In late January, the first confirmed American case of the coronavirus had landed in her area. Critical questions needed answers: Had the man infected anyone else? Was the deadly virus already lurking in other communities and spreading?

As luck would have it,...