Earlier this week, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention updated their testing guidelines for possible coronavirus infection, sparking alarm among health experts.
Previously, the CDC recommended testing “for all close contacts of persons with SARS-CoV-2 infection,” acknowledging “the potential for asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic transmission.”
However, on Monday (August 24), the CDC website changed the guidelines for COVID-19 testing to say:
“If you have been in close contact (within 6 feet) of a person with a COVID-19 infection for at least 15 minutes but do not have symptoms, you do not necessarily need a test unless you are a vulnerable individual or your health care provider or State or local public health officials recommend you take one.”
Further down in the CDC website’s updated guidelines, the agency also notes that “It is important to realize that you can be infected and spread the virus but feel well and have no symptoms,” and urged everyone to follow State and local public health officials should they advise “specific people, or groups of people, to be tested.”
The CDC has declined to comment on the changes made, and referred news and media outlets to the Department of Health and Human Services.
HHS Assistant Secretary for Health, Adm. Brett P. Giroir, M.D., said in a statement: “This Guidance has been updated to reflect current evidence and best public health practices, and to further emphasize using CDC-approved prevention strategies to protect yourself, your family, and the most vulnerable of all ages.”
“The updated Guidance places an emphasis on testing individuals with symptomatic illness, those with a significant exposure or for vulnerable populations, including residents and staff in nursing homes or long term care facilities, critical infrastructure workers, healthcare workers and first responders, and those individuals (who may be asymptomatic) when prioritized by public health officials,” the statement continued.
Public officials and health experts have expressed concern at the sudden change – the HHS is yet to specify what the “current evidence” is that prompted the revision to the guidelines.
“I mean, the evidence that I’m aware of as of today is that close to 40% of the cases of the infections are asymptomatic and asymptomatic people transmit the infection,” Dr. Carlos del Rio, an infectious disease specialist and associate dean of Emory University School of Medicine, said.
“So, not testing — I mean, if you have been in contact with somebody for a few minutes, that’s okay. But if you have been in contact for 50 minutes and that people doesn’t have a mask, I think you need to be tested regardless if you have symptoms or not,” he continued. “We know especially young people going into the house and then transmit inside the household. So, the guidelines baffle me and I really don’t understand them.”
“@CDCgov suddenly changed their criteria for #covid19 testing so that someone exposed to an infected person no longer needs testing. This makes no sense. People without symptoms account for up to 50% of transmission. We need MORE testing, not less,” Former Baltimore City Health Commissioner, Dr. Leana Wen, tweeted.
“The updated recommendations by the CDC stating that asymptomatic people may not need to be tested even if they have been in close contact with someone known to have the virus are very troubling as this is the exact patient population that should be tested,” Dr. Ravina Kullar, an infectious disease expert in California said. “An individual has a high probability of getting the virus from close contact with someone that has had the virus; why would he/she not be recommended to get tested?”
“We know that someone can be infected and transmitting the virus and it can take 3-5 days after initial infection before they develop symptoms. It is suspected that upwards of 50 percent of transmissions occur during this time,” Dr. Fred Davis, associate chair of emergency medicine at Northwell /Long Island Jewish in New York, explained. “Testing those [who] have possibly been exposed to someone with COVID is an important part of contact tracing to help identify and reduce spread. When we have the resources to test, we should be testing those with known exposure to help identify and recommend proper quarantine.”
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, has also weighed in on the matter.
“The CDC guidelines that they have put forth are scary and dangerous,” the congresswoman said. “It really is very sad and just reinforces the lack of attention and understanding that we have to have in order to crush this virus.”
“This has to be resisted,” she added. “This is just again ignoring science and letting the virus have its way with our people. It really must be addressed.”
She also confirmed that they will be investigating the matter during the Energy and Commerce Committee and at the select committee headed by Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C.
