But Birx is facing what may become an even more difficult challenge to her credibility in the weeks ahead: the gap between the insufficient level of coronavirus testing — a lynchpin to opening the economy — and the federal government’s failure to put a viable testing infrastructure and guidelines in place…

As they experiment with re-opening, some states have done so little testing in comparison with the size of their population that they are essentially flying blind.

Birx’s tightrope walk raises questions about the extent to which top health officials in the Trump administration are risking their reputations as they seek to mollify a President who essentially dispensed junk science last week from the White House.

The dilemma of medical experts like Birx and Dr. Anthony Fauci has been drawn in sharper relief amid warnings from public health officials that the rudimentary testing apparatus in many states is an invitation to disaster as they open up.