White House Task Force Directed CDC To Weaken COVID Testing Guidelines
The reason behind the CDC's sudden change to its recommendations as to who should get a coronavirus test has set off a new flap over the Trump administration's handling of the pandemic.
Politico:
Trump Officials Pressured CDC To Change Virus Testing Guidelines
Top Trump administration officials involved with the White House coronavirus task force ordered the Centers for Disease Control and Protection to stop promoting coronavirus testing for most people who have been exposed to the virus but aren't showing symptoms, according to two people with knowledge of the process. Federal testing czar Brett Giroir denied those allegations Wednesday, telling reporters that the CDC ultimately decided to narrow the recommendations for who should be tested. (Lim and Cancryn, 8/26)
CNN:
CDC Was Pressured 'From The Top Down' To Change Covid-19 Testing Guidance, Official Says
A sudden change in federal guidelines on coronavirus testing came this week as a result of pressure from the upper ranks of the Trump administration, a federal health official close to the process tells CNN. "It's coming from the top down," the official said of the new directive from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The new guidelines raise the bar on who should get tested, advising that some people without symptoms probably don't need it -- even if they've been in close contact with an infected person. (Valencia, Murray and Holmes, 8/26)
The New York Times:
Top U.S. Officials Told C.D.C. To Soften Coronavirus Testing Guidelines
Adm. Brett P. Giroir, the administration’s coronavirus testing czar, called it a “C.D.C. action,” written with input from the agency’s director, Dr. Robert R. Redfield. But he acknowledged that the revision came after a vigorous debate among members of the White House coronavirus task force — including its newest member, Dr. Scott W. Atlas, a frequent Fox News guest and a special adviser to President Trump. “We all signed off on it, the docs, before it ever got to a place where the political leadership would have, you know, even seen it, and this document was approved by the task force by consensus,” Dr. Giroir said. “There was no weight on the scales by the president or the vice president or Secretary Azar,” he added, referring to Alex M. Azar II, the secretary of health and human services. (Gay Stolberg, 8/26)
The Washington Post:
Controversial CDC Change In Coronavirus Testing Guidelines Came From The White House
The new guidance — introduced this week, without any announcement, on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website — replaces advice that everyone who has been in close contact with an infected person should get tested to find out whether they had contracted the virus. Instead, the guidance says those without symptoms “do not necessarily need a test.” Several leading infectious-disease experts predicted that, after months of public health exhortations encouraging people to get tested, the turnaround could heighten public confusion, impede contact tracing and lead to more cases. The CDC estimates that 40 percent of those who test positive for the coronavirus have no symptoms but may be highly infectious and spread it to other people. (Goldstein and Sun, 8/26)
