The CDC, bowing to public backlash, reversed course Friday and now says asymptomatic individuals “need a test” if they’ve been in close contact with known COVID-19 infection.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sparked controversy after an earlier guideline change on the agency’s website said self-monitoring for symptoms may be sufficient in some cases.
CNBC reports CDC head, Dr. Robert Redfield told a Senate panel this week that the information would soon be updated on the agency’s website.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has removed guidance posted online last month that said people who had been in close contact with someone exposed to the coronavirus didn’t need to get tested if they didn’t feel sick. https://t.co/NOFxqkAXGu
— The Associated Press (@AP) September 18, 2020
However, some public health officials have said that increased testing has delayed results, making contact tracing much more difficult. They also say that you can’t test your way out of a 14-day quarantine for close contact with an infected individual anyway.
Was the CDC correct to refocus testing efforts in order to more quickly find and isolate infected individuals? Should the CDC be bowing to public outcry? Does doing so make the agency less trustworthy, knowing that it may not matter what the science says, public backlash will dictate decisions?
