U.S. Says Testing Not Needed for Some Exposed to COVID-19, Sparking Outcry

U.S. Says Testing Not Needed for Some Exposed to COVID-19, Sparking...

BY CARL O'DONNELL AND Mrinalika Roy

(Reuters) - The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said this week that people exposed to COVID-19 but not symptomatic may not need to be tested, shocking doctors and politicians and prompting accusations the guidance was politically motivated.

The advice marks a reversal of the agency's previous position recommending testing for all close contacts of people diagnosed with COVID-19.

Admiral Brett Giroir, the assistant secretary for health at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), said the goal was "appropriate testing," not more testing for its own sake, and that there was no political pressure from the administration behind the decision.

CNN and The New York Times reported on Wednesday that U.S. public health officials were ordered by high-level members of the Trump administration to push forward with the changes.

“This was a product produced by the scientific and medical people that was discussed extensively at the task force," said Giroir. The task force is led by Vice President Mike Pence.

The president of the American Medical Association, the largest U.S. association of physicians, said the advice could accelerate the spread of the virus.

"Suggesting that people without symptoms, who have known exposure to COVID-positive

individuals, do not need testing is a recipe for community spread and more spikes in coronavirus," AMA President Susan Bailey said in a statement.

Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. government infectious disease expert, told CNN he was having surgery during discussion of the change.

"I am concerned about the interpretation of these recommendations and worried it will give people the incorrect assumption that asymptomatic spread is not of great concern. In fact it is," he said.

The Trump administration has been criticized for its handling of COVID-19 testing, with many states falling short of the volume needed to help contain the virus during major outbreaks

Trump told a rally in June testing is a "double-edged" sword because it leads to more cases being discovered, causing the United States to appear worse off than it would otherwise. He added that he urged officials to "slow the testing down, please." A White House official at the time told Reuters that the remark was a joke.

The United States has had more than 5 million diagnosed cases of COVID-19 and nearly 180,000 people have died.

California on Wednesday announced a deal with PerkinElmer to nearly double the state's testing capacity, and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo quickly challenged the assertion that politics played no role in the change.

“We need public health people who do public health and not politics, and we’re going to disregard the CDC guidance totally,” he told MSNBC.

Tests of asymptomatic people conducted too early to accurately detect the virus can lead to a false sense of security and potentially help spread the virus, Giroir said.

Health experts said the move could hurt contact tracing efforts to prevent virus spread.

“It’s inexplicable why this guidance suddenly changed. There is no new science that we’re aware of," Dr. Leana Wen, former Baltimore health commissioner and visiting professor at George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health told CNN. "We need far more testing, not less."

(Additional reporting by Caroline Humer and Peter Henderson; Editing by Bill Berkrot, Alistair Bell and Tom Brown)

Views: 18

Comment

You need to be a member of 12160 Social Network to add comments!

Join 12160 Social Network

"Destroying the New World Order"

TOP CONTENT THIS WEEK

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING THE SITE!

mobile page

12160.info/m

12160 Administrators

 

Latest Activity

Doc Vega posted blog posts
5 hours ago
Doc Vega commented on Doc Vega's blog post Marjory Taylor Green Proposes Bill Abolishing Geoengineering or Weather Modification
"cheeki kea Marjory is in a daily battle with Democrats on the hill constantly coming up with more…"
6 hours ago
Doc Vega posted blog posts
Wednesday
Mr. Sizzle favorited Less Prone's video
Wednesday
tjdavis posted a photo
Tuesday
Doc Vega posted a blog post

The Saga of Joe Adams May Have Solved What's Behind the Numerous Disappearances Going on in our National Forests

     The year is 2023 in September. A nature’s photographer and experienced survivalist, Joe Adams…See More
Monday
Sandy posted a video

Aron Siri's opening statement, Senate Hearing on Covid Vaccines, May 25

Opening statement Aaron Siri, Managing Partner, Siri & Glimstad, L.L.P.Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Permanent Subcommittee on Investiga...
Monday
cheeki kea replied to cheeki kea's discussion Tartaria
"A smidgeon of facts have come to light. In English a misspelling suddenly occurred where an extra R…"
Monday
Doc Vega posted a blog post

The Cancel Culture Vulture

  Better to shut them down than hear their point of viewCancel culture coming after youHelping to…See More
Jul 12
Doc Vega posted a photo
Jul 11
Doc Vega posted a blog post

The Fingerprint

The Fingerprint On a dance with the unpredictability of the signals you sendA solemn pact with my…See More
Jul 11
Sandy posted a video
Jul 11
tjdavis posted a video
Jul 9
Burbia replied to Burbia's discussion Trump Receives Marching Orders
Jul 9
Less Prone favorited Burbia's video
Jul 9
Less Prone replied to Burbia's discussion Trump Receives Marching Orders
"Bullets can be effective in reinforcing ownership."
Jul 9
Burbia posted a discussion

Trump Receives Marching Orders

Netanyahu has made 3 visits to the White house since Trump's second term as President of the United…See More
Jul 9
Burbia commented on Burbia's video
Thumbnail

Ben Shapiro Just LOST HIS MIND — There's No Coming Back From This

"Omg. The Ben Shapiro voice that Luke is imitating here couldn't be any more comedic to…"
Jul 8
Burbia posted a video

Ben Shapiro Just LOST HIS MIND — There's No Coming Back From This

Get the magnesium your body needs - https://wearechange.shop/product/magnesium-glycinate/Ben Shapiro Just LOST HIS MIND — There's No Coming Back From ThisHig...
Jul 8
cheeki kea posted photos
Jul 8

© 2025   Created by truth.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service

content and site copyright 12160.info 2007-2019 - all rights reserved. unless otherwise noted