Pandemic Gets Tougher to Track as COVID Testing Plunges

Patient being tested at the Cape Cod Healthcare drive-thru facility at Cape Cod Community College during the first weeks of the pandemic.

(HYANNIS) – Testing for COVID-19 has plummeted globally, making it tougher for scientists to track the course of the pandemic and spot worrisome viral mutants as they emerge and spread.

Experts say testing has dropped by 70-90% worldwide from the first to the second quarter of this year.

Rates are particularly low in low-income countries.

That’s the opposite of what experts say should be happening with new omicron variants on the rise in places such as the U.S. and South Africa.

In the U.S., a shift toward home testing has also obscured efforts to track the virus.