California testing hamstrung by shortage of key chemical

California’s rush to detect new cases of COVID-19 has been slowed by shortages of a key chemical needed to conduct the diagnostic tests, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday. And because of this shortage, the federal government has restrictions on who gets tested, even as the cases and deaths mount. “My great concern is we could be testing a lot more people,” said Newsom. California now has 8,227 test kits sent by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, he said. The kits were welcomed, arriving after a long delay, but the good news was quickly tempered. The tests are not complete,” said Newsom, in a press briefing. “It is imperative that the federal government and labs across the United States get the benefit of all the ingredients that are components of the test.