Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says reopening Michigan's economy is slowed by a shortage of COVID-19 tests to screen employees reentering workplaces, and she blames the Trump administration for not responding to states' needs.
Dearborn businessman Ali Siblani says he can make all the test swabs Michigan requires, and he blames the state bureaucracy for creating an artificial shortage.
Siblani switched to making Nasopharyngeal (NP) swabs a few weeks ago, and has been sending 200,000 a day, he says, to the University of Michigan, Henry Ford Health Systems, the City of New York and hospitals in Chicago, Boston and elsewhere. He says his swabs have been tested and approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
Bob Wheaton, a spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services, says Michigan follows a careful process for vetting medical supplies before making a purchase, particularly when new technology is involved.
"Because 3D-printed swabs are new technology, MDHHS is undergoing due diligence to ensure every possible product meets all of the best safety and accuracy standards for the people of Michigan," Wheaton said. "The department appreciates the work that EnVisionTECH is doing during a time in which it’s vitally important that COVID-19 testing be expanded."
Fair enough. But Siblani says he developed his product with guidance from Harvard University, and the swabs are already in use in a lot of places. In times of crisis, some red tape has to be cut to rush solutions, particularly when it means getting people safely back to work.
