McKee Under Fire Over Testing - Cranston Dems, Senate GOP Leader & Foulkes’ Campaign Criticize Gov

McKee Under Fire Over Testing - Cranston Dems, Senate GOP Leader & Foulkes’ Campaign Criticize Gov

On Thursday, three members of the Cranston City Council Council — all Democrats — called out Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee on the lack of coronavirus testing accessibility.

Testing did improve to nearly 25,000 tests conducted on Wednesday, but the number is far short of the demand and less than the highest days of former Governor Gina Raimondo's administration that topped 40,000 in 2020.

McKee, like the Biden administration, is being heavily criticized for the lack of available testing.

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In a statement, Cranston Councilors Jessica Marino (citywide), Lammis Vargas (Ward 1), and John Donegan, (Ward 3) said, “Here we are, December 2021 and short of test sites and appointments in the midst of the holiday season, a surge of Covid-19 cases and in desperate need of additional and accessible testing. Rhode Islanders need leadership and direction more than ever.”

“The reality in RI is that Covid cases are on the rise and have been for weeks. In the past week, our state’s positivity rate rose from 6.2% to 7.2% and new cases per 100,000 are up. Since the beginning of the month our hospital admissions have risen steadily, and despite the heroic efforts of health care workers, our health care infrastructure is overwhelmed. Today, over 3,000 people tested positive,” added the three councilors.

“With schools returning from the holiday break next week, we need immediate action to expand accessibility to tests and shorten the timeframe for results. Our state leadership must act now and leverage the full weight of our government to address this crisis. Governor McKee, you must act now,” they added.

 

GOP Leader

In addition, Senate Minority Leader Dennis L. Algiere (R-Dist. 38, Westerly, Charlestown, South Kingstown) criticized McKee as well.  

“I am hearing from my constituents, and from residents throughout the state, that they are simply unable to access COVID-19 tests in South County or throughout the state. They can’t find at-home tests, and there is no availability at the public testing sites. If they are fortunate enough to get an appointment, they have to wait inexcusable time periods to learn the results of their PCR tests. The residents of District 38, and throughout the state, are justifiably concerned for their health and wellbeing as the Delta and Omicron variants continue to sweep through Rhode Island,” said Leader Algiere.

 

Foulkes' Spokesperson Adds In

And, Helena Foulkes’ campaign for governor also criticized McKee.

"In November, when Delta cases were rising in Rhode Island and Omicron was spreading across the globe, the State should have been ramping up -- not ramping down -- testing capacity and addressing hospital staffing needs in preparation for this moment,” said Foulkes’ campaign spokesperson Audrey Lucas.

"This governor's failure to take action then is having real, devastating impacts on Rhode Islanders now. Across our state, people have been struggling to find same-day COVID tests for weeks. PCR results are still taking as many as 5-7 days. At the same time, our healthcare system is collapsing and unable to guarantee care for people coming in with heart attacks, strokes, or other emergent medical issues. Hospital leaders have been begging the administration to call in the National Guard for support--what is the governor waiting for? Rhode Islanders deserve a governor who deeply understands health care, knows the importance of planning ahead, and realizes that real leadership means taking action--not waiting around,” added Lucas.