The CDC surveyed 292 people who tested positive for the virus, and 35% said they had not yet regained their normal good health even two to three weeks after testing positive.
While older people were more likely to experience prolonged symptoms, even young adults with no underlying conditions reported feeling ill over a long period of time, the CDC said.
Health experts have emphasized the importance of tests to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, but have also said that people who do not show symptoms can transmit the virus.
On Friday, the US Food and Drug Administration announced an emergency use authorization for the first coronavirus test for asymptomatic cases, and even for people who think they are not infected at all.
“The FDA clearance of the first diagnostic test to be used for anyone, regardless of whether they show COVID-19 symptoms or have other risk factors for exposure, is one step toward the type of comprehensive screening that can help allow the reopening of schools and workplaces, “FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn said in a statement Friday.
The vaccine could help, but it is far away
For those hoping to reopen the United States after the coronavirus pandemic, vaccines have been a beacon of hope.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said he believes the hope is justified and that a vaccine could stop the pandemic, but he also doesn’t believe that will happen until well into 2021.
“I think as we enter 2021, several months later, you would have (a) a vaccine that would be widely available to people in the United States,” Fauci told the Bob Costa of the Washington Post during a Post Live event.
Fauci noted that some companies have said they may have a vaccine available before the end of the year.
“I’m a little skeptical about that, but, you know, anything is possible,” he told the Post.
Once a vaccine is found and made available, the public should agree to take it for it to be effective. Former director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Thomas Frieden, said Friday it could be difficult.
“This is the first time we have had an anti-vaccine movement before we have the vaccine,” Frieden said in a podcast sponsored by online news site Axios.
“There are already too many suspicions and doubts about vaccines, and the way to approach it is to say it as it is and be sure that we are saying what we are doing, when we are doing it, what we are doing. Learning, when we are learning it”, said Frieden, who is now the president of Resolve to Save Lives.
States still set records
Months after the U.S. coronavirus pandemic, states across the country are still setting new records for infections and deaths.
Oregon, which ordered covering its face both indoors and outdoors, recorded nine new deaths from Covid-19 on Friday, its highest number since the outbreak began, according to the state health department.
California also reported its highest number of coronavirus deaths on Friday, with 159 in a single day, according to data from the California Department of Public Health.
The Georgia Department of Public Health reported 4,813 new cases of Covid-19 on Friday, the highest number of new cases reported in a 24-hour period by the Georgia Department of Public Health since the pandemic began.
As cases increase, many local leaders are taking steps to protect themselves against the virus.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Friday that dozens of bars and restaurants in the state are facing charges related to coronavirus violations this week.
And Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves on Friday announced additional statewide restrictions on social gatherings, bars, restaurants, and alcohol sales, citing an increase in COVID-19 cases that are currently stressing out state hospitals.
“We have more than 1,600 new cases today. And that number is simply not sustainable. It pushes us to almost 6,000 new cases in the last four days alone,” the governor said at a press conference. “We have to do things a little differently. We have to be willing to make sacrifices as a state and as a people.”
Fauci Supports CDC’s Push to Send Children Back to School
The CDC released guidance Thursday pushing hard for schools to reopen, and Fauci called it “a solid set of guidelines.”
“I think CDC has given good guidance. I just took a look at them before I started the program, which was sent to me by my CDC colleagues. So I think it’s a solid set of guidelines,” Fauci told Costa during the Post Live interview.
The guidelines point to studies showing that children are not at high risk for severe coronavirus symptoms, as well as studies showing that younger children may not be important vectors for the spread of the virus.
“There is still a lot to learn about the prevalence and incidence of infection in children,” said Fauci.
Fauci added that the National Institutes of Health has an ongoing study looking at 2,000 families to find, among other things, how often children get infected and whether they pass it on to adults. It is expected to produce results in December, she said.
“Although we have information on that, we still need more,” Fauci said.
CNN’s Jen Christensen, Rob Frehse, Sarah Moon, Shelby Lin Erdman, Eileen McMenamin, Chandler Thornton, and Gisela Crespo contributed to this report.
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