Some states will continue coronavirus testing of asymptomatic individuals exposed to COVID-19 without ignoring the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) surprise reversal of guidance this week when the federal agency said asymptomatic individuals who were exposed to the virus did not need to be tested.
Florida, Texas, Arizona, Illinois, California, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut have joined health officials in expressing disapproval and worried about the sudden change in guidelines and said they will continue testing the exhibitors to COVID-19 individuals to limit the spread of novel coronavirus.
CDC changes CORONAVIRUS TESTRIDING; ASYMPTOMATIC PERSONS NO LONGER TEST
“Social experts advise testing contacts of individuals with COVID-19 to identify and prevent asymptomatic spread. This type of robust testing by our states has so far been a major factor in our success in leveling the curve in the tri-state area. the governors of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut said in a joint statement sent to Fox News.
“New York, New Jersey and Connecticut will continue to follow the advice of health experts to contain and prevent the spread of COVID-19, and will therefore not change our guidance which is a priority for testing for this population,” pursued the statement.
Florida, Texas, Arizona, Illinois, California, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut said they will continue testing those exposed to COVID-19 individuals to limit the spread of novel coronavirus.
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“This 180-degree reversal of COVID-19 test guidelines is reckless, and not based on science and has the potential to do long-term damage to the institution’s reputation,” the tristate executives added in the statement.
Florida and California are unlikely to follow the new recommendations, and Texas health officials told Fox News they share a similar sentiment.
“Current Texas guidance recommends testing for all close contacts of a confirmed case, as it allows for early case identification among people at higher risk of infection,” said a spokesman for the Texas Department of State Health. Services in a statement to Fox News. “There is no planned change at this point, but we are always reviewing our guidance in light of new information about the disease and the situation in Texas to see if it needs to be updated.”
The CDC was criticized after the sudden reversal earlier this week.
Asymptomatic people who came in contact with infected individuals “do not necessarily need a test,” the federal agency now states. However, a few lines down, the CDC also notes that it is “important to realize that you can be infected and spread the virus, but you feel good and have no symptoms.”
Earlier, the CDC had recommended testing of people who had close contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19 to help mitigate the spread of viruses.
The change led to speculation that the federal health bureau was pushing policies for the change.
Indeed, the governors of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut demanded the reasoning behind the reverse decision.
“CDC and HHS have not shared their scientific reason for this change in policy, which replaces sound science basic public health guidance with the wrong information from the president. This abrupt and ill-informed shift threatens the robust test regimes that are tiring our states. have to stand up with our federal partners, ”the joint statement said.
After the changes, however, federal officials were quick to deny the allegations of political involvement in the decision.
“There is no direction from President Trump. This is evidence-driven,” Adm said. Dr. Brett M. Giroir, who is assistant secretary of health at the HHS, during a livestreamed media briefing Wednesday.
After the decline, the CDC director, Dr. Robert Redfield, however, reiterated the revisions, saying in a statement to Fox News that “testing can be considered for all close contacts of confirmed or probable COVID-19 patients.”
CDC DOES NOT RECEIVE ORDER FROM PRESIDENT TRUMP TO CHANGE CORONAVIRUS TEST GUIDELINES, HHS
That said, as of Friday morning, the CDC site had not changed the new recommendations on its website.
Several health organizations, such as the Infectious Disease Society of America and the American Medical Association (AMA), are calling for the immediate reversal of the guidelines for testing for CDC coronavirus because the United States has the most confirmed cases worldwide.
“Evidence has clearly indicated that asymptomatic individuals play an important role in transmissions. Identifying individuals infected with COVID-19 – even if they are asymptomatic – is critical to support appropriate isolation and identification of contacts, limiting proliferation, and to provide the data-driven, comprehensive view on common dissemination needed to inform effective responses to public health, “the IDSA said in a statement.
