“It is critical that science, evidence and data continue to serve as the foundation of every C.D.C. recommendation.” Dr. Mary Pittman, president and chief executive of the nonprofit Public Health Institute
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reversed its earlier controversial recommendation suggesting people who have had close contact with a person infected with the coronavirus do not need to get tested if they have no symptoms.
The new guidance recommends that anyone exposed to an infected person for more than 15 minutes needs a test. The change comes after widespread criticism of the earlier guideline.
Those who have been within 6 feet of a person with the coronavirus for at least 15 minutes, and those without symptoms, “need a COVID-19 test”. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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.”
Public health experts welcomed the change as consistent with research showing that people without symptoms can spread the virus to others.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/18/world/covid-coronavirus.html
References:
- https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/testing-overview.html
- https://www.miamiherald.com/news/coronavirus/article245840460.html#storylink=cpy