CDC: Asymptomatic people do not need testing

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• The Center for Disease Control on Tuesday released its newest version of the coronavirus testing guidelines that said people who do not exhibit symptoms need not be tested despite exposure to the virus.
• Concerned experts said this will only hinder our understanding of the true scope of the outbreak in the US.
• In July, the CDC said that asymptomatic people account for 40% of coronavirus cases with a 75% rate of transmission.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention released its modified testing guidelines on Tuesday stating that people who were recently exposed to the coronavirus but do not show symptoms need not undergo testing for the virus.

As a warning, the new guidelines also stated: “It is important to realize that you can be infected and spread the virus but feel well and have no symptoms.”

According to the revised version, the agency says that individuals who have been in close contact, that is, less than 6 feet, with an infected person for at least 15 minutes need not be tested for the virus. This includes those who have gone to public or private gatherings of more than 10 people without physical distancing and mask-wearing.

The agency also noted that exceptions only apply if these people were in an at-risk population.

Experts concerned about the revision told The New York Times that it is essential to immediately identify the infection before the onset of symptoms because that is when people are deemed to be most contagious.

Dr. Krutika Kuppalli, an infectious disease physician in Palo Alto, California told the Times that limiting the testing to only people who show obvious symptoms means “you’re not looking for a lot of people who are potential spreaders of disease.” “This is potentially dangerous,” she added.

Last week, the World Health Organization warned that young people who are unaware that they are infected are emerging as the main spreaders of the virus.

At a virtual briefing reported by Reuters, WHO’s Western Pacific regional director, Takeshi Kasai, stressed that the epidemic is changing and that more and more people in their 20s to 40s are getting and spreading the virus.

“Many are unaware they are infected. This increases the risk of spillovers to the more vulnerable,” Kasai said.

Prior to the revision, the CDC itself estimated in July that of the people infected with COVID-19, 40% accounts for the asymptomatic individuals and that their risk of transmission was 75 percent.

Both the CDC and the Department of Health and Human Services are yet to respond to Business Insider’s request for comment.

However, an HHS spokesperson told the Times that “the decision to be tested should be one made in collaboration with public health officials or your health care provider based on individual circumstances and the status of community spread.”

Source: Business Insider