CDC changes guidelines for testing: No more test for asymptomatics

On August 27, 2020 CDC released new guidelines which states that it no longer recommends testing for individuals without symptoms even when they have been exposed to someone positive with the virus. 

In this news report from CNBC, Brett Giroir says that the goal of this change is to shift testing so that it is driven more by public health officials and less by individuals who are worried that they are sick. Unfortunately, the CDC has not presented this change publicly, which has caused lead experts to question its earlier decisions.

Editor’s Note: We have been saying early on that we need to temper testing, but the way this change has been done has caused greater concerns, instead of bringing about hope. It can be likened to the Philippines’ decision to utilize time-based recovery (which allows the national health department to declare thousands of recoveries bi-monthly) which has led to accusations of blatant data manipulation.

Unlike in the Philippines however, the CDC has failed to explain the change in the testing procedure. Why the silence? Did the organization finally understand the danger of unchecked testing? [See Why COVID-19 is guaranteed to never end]. Or is it simply avoiding the backlash of the reality that the majority of those infected with the coronavirus do not develop symptoms, which then points to its low mortality? [See Cruise ship experience shows more symptomless SARS-COV-2, Why you haven’t caught COVID-19 yet, USC-LA County antibody suggests true COVID-19 infections higher than official count, Herd immunity may still be the key to fighting COVID-19].