U.S. likely in short supply of COVID-19 test kit again: Politico

People walk past a COVID-19 testing site in Times Square in New York, the United States, Jan. 9, 2022. (Photo by Michael Nagle/Xinhua)

NEW YORK, March 23 (Xinhua) -- A U.S. health expert warned the country could again face shortage of COVID-19 tests if Congress fails to pass a pandemic funding bill and case surges, said an article released by U.S. news portal Politico on Tuesday.

The country is repeating the same mistakes it made last summer, when demand for testing plummeted and test manufacturers scaled back production, Scott Becker, the CEO of the Association of Public Health Laboratories, was quoted by the article as saying.

"It is like we have learned absolutely nothing as a system during this pandemic," said Becker.

According to the article, the concern comes as the administration of Joe Biden warns Congress that if it does not provide more than 22 billion U.S. dollars in additional funding soon, the administration will not be able to purchase new anti-COVID-19 supplies including drugs, vaccines, masks and tests.