Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
CDC: No COVID Symptoms? No Test
The New York Times: C.D.C. Changes Testing Guidance To Exclude People Without Covid-19 Symptoms, Worrying Experts
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention quietly modified its coronavirus testing guidelines this week to exclude people who do not have symptoms of Covid-19 — even if they have been recently exposed to the virus. Experts questioned the revision, pointing to the importance of identifying infections in the brief window immediately before the onset of symptoms, when many individuals are thought to be most contagious. (8/25)
CNBC: CDC Quietly Revises Coronavirus Guidance To Downplay Importance Of Testing For Asymptomatic People
The agency, which didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment, also added new language referring to asymptomatic individuals as “healthy people,” language that’s frequently used in social media posts protesting the use of masks. (Feuer, 8/26)
CNN: Updated CDC Guidelines Now Say People Exposed To Coronavirus May Not Need To Be Tested
Here's what the CDC website said previously: "Testing is recommended for all close contacts of persons with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Because of the potential for asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic transmission, it is important that contacts of individuals with SARS-CoV-2 infection be quickly identified and tested." The CDC changed the site on Monday. Here's what it says now: "If you have been in close contact (within 6 feet) of a person with a COVID-19 infection for at least 15 minutes but do not have symptoms, you do not necessarily need a test unless you are a vulnerable individual or your health care provider or State or local public health officials recommend you take one."(Gumbrecht, Nedelman and Fox, 8/26)
