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Dr K Aggarwal, President CMAAO, With input from Dr Monica Vasudev
India
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New Delhi, September 20, 2020 :
CDC Reverses COVID-19 Testing Guidance Again: Exposed Without Symptoms Need Tests
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) sparked widespread outcry among state public health officials and experts in late August when it said that people who do not have symptoms may not need to get tested. Before Aug. 24, the CDC had encouraged testing for all those who were exposed. Friday’s guidance update effectively returns the CDC’s testing guidance to what it said before it was altered in late August.
It is now unequivocal, with the agency stating that for individuals without symptoms who have been in close contact with an infected person for at least 15 minutes: “You need a test.”
Until a few weeks ago, the CDC recommendations stated: “Testing is recommended for all close contacts of persons with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Because of the potential for asymptomatic and presymptomatic transmission, it is important that contacts of individuals with SARS-CoV-2 infection be quickly identified and tested.”
But the agency quietly altered its guidance on August 24, stating that if patients did not have symptoms, they did not “necessarily” need a test, unless it was recommended by a healthcare provider or state/local health official or they were “vulnerable” — bringing a barrage of criticism from public health professionals.
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