There has again been a change in guidance by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), after the public health officials, mentioning that asymptomatic people who come in contact with COVID-19 have to be tested.
This updated guidance is aligned more closely with previous recommendations.
The CDC has posted on its website that if you get in close contact, such as within 6 feet of an individual with documented SARS-CoV-2 infection for at least 15 minutes, but do not have symptoms, you still need to test.
This particular change was initiated after a noticeable shift in the communication strategy at the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the CDC.
Michael Caputo, top spokesman of HHS, accused of watering down scientific guidance, said that he would be taking a leave of absence due to health reasons.
Dr. Tom Frieden, former director of the CDC and current president of a global public initiative called Resolve to Save Lives, said the change might have resulted in fewer people being tested, which would have hindered contact tracing efforts.
It is critical to test people who have been exposed to the virus, even if they are not feeling sick in order to stop chains of transmission.
Dr. Anthony Fauci is the nation’s top infectious disease expert and he has agreed to the importance of testing.
In the updated guidance given by the CDC, the agency mentions the importance of asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic transmission of the virus to stress the need for testing close contacts of infected patients.
The CDC has mentioned that people suffering from COVID-19 can still spread the virus prior to showing symptoms (presymptomatic spread) or if they do not develop symptoms (asymptomatic spread).
The CDC director acknowledged in April that some cases may be asymptomatic and according to research published in May, the figure was as high as about 40%.
CDC mentioned that the new recommendation was a clarification document to the testing guidance that was posted in August.
However, the CDC doesn’t mandate which people can or need to test for the coronavirus. Those decisions are to be taken by local and state health authorities, and it depends in some cases, on the availability of the tests.
Dr. Frieden mentioned that the virus is going to be there for a long time and it doesn’t necessarily mean schools and businesses cannot reopen safely in the meantime.
He said that can only be done by working together and following the science. This includes wearing masks, maintaining social distancing and washing hands.
The CDC mentions that people should isolate or self-quarantine at home and stay separated from others in the household till their test results come. A single negative test doesn’t imply that you will remain negative at any point of time after that test.
Inspite of having a negative test, you have to still self-isolate for 14 days as mentioned on their website.