CDC walks back shift in COVID-19 testing guidelines

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tried Thursday to clarify controversial coronavirus testing guidelines published Monday that said people with no symptoms “do not necessarily need a test” even if they were exposed to an infected person.

The medical community criticized the agency’s looser guidelines.

Public health officials said testing people who might have been exposed to COVID-19, whether or not they show symptoms, is crucial to knowing how many people are infected.

Before Monday, the CDC website said testing was recommended “for all close contacts of persons with SARSCoV-2 infection,” the virus that causes COVID-19.

Monday, that was changed to say that someone who was in close contact (within 6 feet) of a person with COVID-19 for at least 15 minutes but didn’t have symptoms does not “necessarily need a test.”

Guidance released Thursday by CDC Director Robert Redfield says those who come in contact with a confirmed or probable COVID-19 patient can be tested, even if they don’t show symptoms.

Redfield’s statement said, “Everyone who needs a COVID-19 test, can get a test.” But, he said, “everyone who wants a test does not necessarily need a test; the key is to engage the needed public health community in the decision with the appropriate follow-up action.”

Public health doctors agreed with that statement, given that COVID-19 tests in the USA are in short supply in some areas.