“I was under general anesthesia in the operating room and was not part of any discussion as to discussing the new test recommendations” at that meeting, Fauci told CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
“I worry about the interpretation of these recommendations and I worry that it will give people the wrong assumption that asymptomatic spread is not of great concern. In fact, it is,” said Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
Fauci’s comments underscored the claims of adm. Brett Giroir, the person from the administration’s coronavirus test point, told reporters on Wednesday that the new guidelines had the stamp of approval of the White House Task Force. Asked if Fauci drew up the guidelines, Giroir said: “Yes, all the documents were removed before it even reached the task force level.”
“We all worked together to ensure that there was absolute consensus that reflected the best possible evidence, and the best public health for the American people,” Giroir said earlier in the call, pushing back on the idea. that the new guidelines were the result of political pressure. “I worked on her, Dr. Fauci worked on her, Dr. (Deborah) Birx worked on her. Dr. (Stephen) Hahn worked on her.”
The new CDC guidelines appeared to be the result of an idea that was brought to the task force a month earlier by CDC director Robert Redfield, when a flood of coronavirus cases strained testing of US sources and some members searched for new posts on how to stem redundant tests. ,
Instead of continuing to encourage anyone in close contact with a coronavirus-positive individual to be tested, Redfield suggested that the CDC could relax the guidance, and did not consider a test necessary for otherwise healthy individuals who had no symptoms, said two sources familiar with the matter. Experts worry that this will discourage widespread testing of asymptomatic individuals who could bring the pandemic under control.
The idea was met with immediate resistance from various members of the task force. At a task force meeting of coronavirus Thursday, members debated the guidelines in detail and in person, when Fauci was absent.
The new guidelines were quietly published on the CDC website on Monday, and received media attention on Tuesday night and drew a flood of criticism from the public health community.
The new guidelines baffled some federal health officials who are generally informed about coronavirus cases, and many state health officials were also uninformed about the change. Many federal health officials scrambled Wednesday to understand the impact of the new guidelines and who pushed through the change.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly lamented widespread testing in the US, falsely claiming it is responsible for cursing cases in the US and suggesting that the US should delay testing. Those remarks and the surprising CDC guidelines lead to accusations that the CDC’s new guidelines were political and not scientific in origin.
Giroir insisted the decision was scientific and evidence-based, saying there was “no direction from President Trump, the vice president, as the [HHS] Secretary on what we should do when. ”
“These are evidence-based decisions that are driven by scientists and physicians, both within the CDC with my office in the Task Force lab, and certainly among the members of the task force,” Giroir said.
“These updated guidelines, coordinated in conjunction with the White House Coronavirus Task Force, have received appropriate attention, consultation and input from task force experts,”
Redfield said in a statement released to CNN later Wednesday that “these updated guidelines, coordinated in conjunction with the White House Coronavirus Task Force, have received appropriate attention, consultation and input from task force experts.”
“We place an emphasis on testing individuals with symptomatic disease, individuals with significant exposure, vulnerable populations including nursing homes as long-term care facilities, critical infrastructure workers, health care workers and first responders, as well as those individuals who may be asymptomatic as they become prioritized by medical and public health officials, ‘he said.
Earlier CDC test report said that anyone who had close contact with someone with coronavirus should be tested if they have symptoms or not.
Page changed to “If you’ve been in close contact for at least 15 minutes (within 6 feet) of a person with a COVID-19 infection but have no symptoms, you do not need to have a test if you are not a vulnerable individual your health care provider or state public health officials will advise you to take one. ”
Redfield said in his statement that anyone who has been in close contact with a confirmed or probable Covid-19 patient should check his symptoms, wear a mask and stay at least 6 feet away from others, wash their hands and with a health care provider speaks as public health “to determine if (a) test is needed.”
“Testing is meant to stimulate action and achieve specific public health goals. Anyone who needs a COVID-19 test can get a test. Anyone who wants a test does not necessarily need a test; the key is to engage the necessary public health community in the decision with the appropriate next action, “Redfield said, adding:” Testing can be considered for all close contacts of confirmed or probable COVID-19 patients. “
Dr. Carlos del Rio, an infectious disease specialist and associate dean of Emory University School of Medicine, told CNN Newsroom earlier that the CDC had not provided any evidence to explain the changes. “I mean, the evidence that I’m aware of as of today is that close to 40% of cases of infections are asymptomatic and asymptomatic people transmit the infection,” del Rio said.
“That, not testing – I mean, if you’ve been in contact with someone for a few minutes, that’s fine. But if you’ve been in contact for 15 minutes and people do not have a mask, I think you need to be tested, regardless of whether you have symptoms or not, ”he added.
President of the American Medical Association Dr. Susan Bailey called on the CDC and HHS to release “scientific justification” for the changes.
“Months into this pandemic, we know that COVID-19 is spread by asymptomatic people. Suggesting that asymptomatic people who have exposure to COVID-positive individuals do not need testing is a recipe for community outreach and more spikes in coronavirus, “Bailey said in a statement.
California, meanwhile, will not abide by new guidelines, Gavin Newsom said in a news conference.
“I do not agree with the new CDC guidance time, complete stop, and it is not the policy in the state of California,” said Newsom, a Democrat. “We will not be affected by that change. We will be affected by those who are experts in the field who feel very differently.”
This story was updated on Wednesday with additional developments.
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