Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Backlash Prompts CDC Director To Soften New Testing Guidance
USA Today: CDC Walks Back Surprise Coronavirus Asymptomatic Testing Guidelines
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention attempted Thursday to clarify controversial coronavirus testing guidelines published Monday that said people with no symptoms "do not necessarily need a test" even if they were exposed to an infected person. ... Guidance released Thursday by CDC Director Robert Redfield says those who come in contact with a confirmed or probable COVID-19 patient can be tested, even if they don’t show symptoms. (Weise and Rodriguez, 8/27)
Stat: CDC Director Attempts To Clarify Controversial Covid-19 Testing Guidelines
At issue are a set of guidelines released on Monday that say that people without symptoms who have come into contact with someone with Covid-19 do not necessarily need to be tested. Earlier, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had said that “testing was recommended” for the same group. Redfield’s comments Thursday softened the change. He said testing “may be considered” for asymptomatic contacts of people who have confirmed or probable cases of Covid-19. The guidelines, he said, were intended to place “an emphasis” on testing people with symptoms, as well as people in long-term care facilities and nursing homes and people who may be particularly vulnerable to the infection. (Sheridan, 8/27)
The Hill: CDC Director Clarifies Change In Coronavirus Testing Guidelines After Backlash
“Testing is meant to drive actions and achieve specific public health objectives. Everyone who needs a COVID-19 test, can get a test. Everyone who wants a test does not necessarily need a test; the key is to engage the needed public health community in the decision with the appropriate follow-up action,” Redfield said. A spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Human Services later said Redfield was “amplifying and explaining” the guidance, rather than walking back the earlier change. (Wilson, 8/27)
Criticism of the new guidelines continues —
The Hill: American Medical Association Criticizes New Trump Testing Guidance
The American Medical Association, the country’s largest doctors group, sharply criticized the Trump administration’s new guidance that asymptomatic people do not need to be tested, warning that it will lead to “more spikes in coronavirus.” “Months into this pandemic, we know COVID-19 is spread by asymptomatic people,” Susan Bailey, president of the AMA, said in a statement. “Suggesting that people without symptoms, who have known exposure to COVID-positive individuals, do not need testing is a recipe for community spread and more spikes in coronavirus.” (Sullivan, 8/27)
The Hill: Democrats Press CDC Director Over Coronavirus Testing Guidelines
House Democrats are taking Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Robert Redfield to task over his agency’s coronavirus testing guidelines amid backlash over recent changes. Eighty-six lawmakers wrote in a Thursday letter that they have “grave concerns” over revised guidance issued this week limiting tests to those who show symptoms, a policy that swiftly garnered backlash from Democrats and health experts who underscored the role asymptomatic people play in spreading the virus. (Axelrod, 8/27)
Some states say they won't follow the guidelines —
Reuters: California, Florida, New York, Texas Will Not Follow New U.S. COVID-19 Testing Plan
Several large U.S. states are not heeding new federal health officials’ calls to reduce COVID-19 testing of some exposed to the virus, joining a broad rebuke of the Trump administration by public health leaders. Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Texas, New Jersey and New York all plan to continue to test asymptomatic people who have been exposed to COVID-19, despite new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggesting that such tests may not be needed. (O'Donnell, 8/27)
Boston Globe: Mass. Stays Course On Testing, Despite Shift In Federal Guidelines
Massachusetts continues to recommend testing for asymptomatic people who come in contact with someone infected with the coronavirus, despite new federal guidelines saying such tests are unnecessary, a spokesman for the command center overseeing the state’s COVID-19 response said Thursday. “While we are reviewing this changed federal guidance, it is not anticipated that any immediate changes will be made to the current testing protocols,” the spokesman, Tory Mazzola, said in a statement. The state has been offering free testing for anyone in high-risk communities. (Freyer and Andersen, 8/27)
AP: Idaho Weighs Whether To Adopt New CDC Testing Guidelines
Idaho’s public health officials are trying to decide whether they’ll officially adopt new CDC guidelines that no longer recommend coronavirus testing for asymptomatic people who have had close contact with infected people. Some experts said the decision could have a big impact on how coronavirus spreads in Idaho. (Boone, 8/27)
