States have received rapid coronavirus test kits, but not enough to make a difference yet

States have grown frustrated over their inability to access a useful amount of rapid novel COVID-19 coronavirus test kits that can deliver results in under 15 minutes, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The tests, produced by Abbot Laboratories, were considered a game-changer by the Trump administration — and they still may very well be — but multiple states who have received them have said the amount they got won't make a difference (New York isn't putting them to use until there's a practical amount.) Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D), for example, thought he sealed an agreement to receive enough for 88,000 tests per month, but it turned out the federal government took over the purchasing and Illinois ultimately wound up with just 15 testing machines and 120 cartridges, which amounts to eight tests per machine across the state.

The White House also didn't account for population when distributing to states, giving each the same amount, except for Alaska which received more so it could ramp up testing in remote areas. The Department of Health and Human Services said it also provided 250 machines for the Indian Health Service, which provides health care for 2.6 million Native Americans, but that reportedly doesn't meet needs, either, especially for people living on remote reservations.

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The smaller-than-expected deliveries to state labs, though, don't necessarily mean health care systems aren't getting access to the tests. A spokeswoman for the HHS said the limited quantities were purchased because the White House wanted to leave enough for hospitals, and states can reportedly order more supplies through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Abbot has been churning out 50,000 test cartridges per day and has shipped thousands of kits to doctors' offices, universities, and labs, in addition to the federal supply. Read more at The Wall Street Journal.