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NEW YORK: Guidance on testing for the novel coronavirus published last month on the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website was not written by agency scientists and was published Despite his objections, the New York Times reported citing people familiar with the matter and internal documents.
Under the guidance, it was not necessary to test people without symptoms for COVID-19, the life-threatening illness caused by the virus, even if they had been exposed to the virus.
The agency’s previous position recommended testing everyone who has had close contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19. The reversal shocked doctors and politicians and sparked accusations of political interference.
Admiral Brett Giroir, undersecretary of health for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the father of the CDC, said at the time that the goal was “appropriate testing”, not more testing per se, and that there had been no political pressure.
Internal documents on the matter contained “elementary errors,” such as referencing “testing for COVID-19,” rather than testing for the virus that causes it, and recommendations inconsistent with the CDC’s position, it reported Thursday ( September 17) the NYT. citing a senior scientist at the CDC.
Officials in President Donald Trump’s administration told the NYT that the documents were produced by the CDC and that they had been reviewed with input from the agency’s director, Robert Redfield.
However, the NYT also reported that HHS rewrote and then “dropped” the guide on the CDC website, circumventing the agency’s review process.
“The guidelines, coordinated in conjunction with the White House Coronavirus Task Force, received appropriate attention, consultation and input from the group’s experts,” Redfield said in a statement to Reuters.
An HHS spokeswoman told Reuters that the orientations always receive input from medical and scientific experts on the task force.
A new version of the guide, expected to be released Friday, has not been approved by the CDC and is being reviewed by HHS officials, the NYT reported, citing a federal official.
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