Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Get Tested If Exposed, CDC Now Says After Ditching Controversial Guidelines
The Washington Post: CDC Reverses Controversial Coronavirus Guidelines For Testing People Without Symptoms
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday reversed heavily criticized guidelines on who should be tested for the novel coronavirus after experts inside and outside the agency raised alarms about public confusion over testing and concerns about the country’s ability to control the epidemic. The agency updated its recommendations to call for testing anyone who has been in close contact with anyone found to have the novel coronavirus. The guidance includes testing of those who do not have symptoms of covid-19, the disease caused by the virus. (Sun, 9/18)
Fox News: CDC Reverses Course Again, Says Asymptomatic People Should Be Tested
This is the second time that the CDC has reversed course on their testing policy. On August 26th, the agency ignited a controversy when it changed its guidance to say that asymptomatic individuals do not need to be tested, even if they came into close contact with someone who has coronavirus. The reversal Friday moves the CDC back in line with its original guidance. (Best, 9/19)
The New York Times: C.D.C. Reverses Testing Guidelines For People Without Covid-19 Symptoms
The change comes after widespread criticism of the earlier guideline, as well as reporting from The New York Times that the recommendation came from political appointees in the Trump administration and skipped the agency’s usual rigorous scientific review. The previous phrasing, which suggested asymptomatic people who have had close contact with an infected individual “do not necessarily need a test,” now clearly instructs them: “You need a test.” (Mandavilli, 9/18)
Politico: CDC Reverses Course On Testing For Asymptomatic People Who Had Covid-19 Contact
In addition to recommending testing for close contacts of sick people, the CDC now says that contacts should self-quarantine at home for 14 days, even if they test negative — and stay away from other household members in a separate bedroom if possible. "A single negative test does not mean you will remain negative at any time point after that test," the new CDC guidelines warn. "Even if you have a negative test, you should still self-isolate for 14 days." (Lim, 9/18)
In related news —
The New York Times: Emails Detail Effort To Silence C.D.C. And Question Its Science
Dr. Alexander’s point-by-point assessment, broken into seven parts and forwarded by Mr. Caputo to Dr. Robert R. Redfield, the C.D.C. director, was one of several emails obtained by The New York Times that illustrate how Mr. Caputo and Dr. Alexander attempted to browbeat career officials at the C.D.C. at the height of the pandemic, challenging the science behind their public statements and attempting to silence agency staff. Far from hiding what they knew about the virus’s danger, as Bob Woodward’s new book contends President Trump was doing, the emails seem to indicate that aides in Washington were convinced of their own rosy prognostications, even as coronavirus infections were shooting skyward. (Weiland, 9/18)
