The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday clarified an attitude about testing for asymptomatic people who were exposed to coronavirus after a wave of criticism over an abrupt shift in their guidance.
In a statement Thursday, CDC Director Robert Redfield said anyone who “needs” a test can still get one, though not everyone who wants one should get one.
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“Testing is intended to stimulate action and achieve specific public health goals,” Redfield said. “Anyone who needs a COVID-19 test can get a test.”
However, “everyone who wants a test does not necessarily need a test; the key is to engage the necessary public health community in deciding with the appropriate next action,” he added.
The statement came after a number of health officials and politicians were concerned about the agency’s latest testing guidelines that people without symptoms might not need to be tested, even after exposure to the virus.
As of August 24, the CDC website reads: “You do not necessarily need to have a test unless you are a vulnerable individual if your health care provider as a state or local public health officials advise you to take one.”
The guidance was seen as an abrupt reversal of the CDC’s previous advice that people who were within 6 feet of an infected person for more than 15 minutes should be tested, even if they were asymptomatic.
The agency said the updated guidelines were coordinated in conjunction with the White House Coronavirus Task Force and “received appropriate attention, consultation, and input from task force experts.”
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Going forward, the agency said it “places an emphasis on testing people with symptomatic disease, people with significant exposure, vulnerable populations.”
This includes nursing homes as long-term care facilities, critical infrastructure workers, health care workers and first responders. This also applies to individuals who may be asymptomatic “if priority is given by medical and public health officials,” the agency said.
Anyone who has been in close contact with someone who has COVID-19 should control their symptoms, take special precautions to protect the vulnerable, wear a mask, stay at least 6 feet away from others, keep their hands wash and talk to their health care provider to see if a test is needed, the agency said.
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