CDC Now Says People Without COVID-19 Symptoms Do Not Need Testing

CDC recently revised its COVID-19 testing guidelines to exclude people who do not have symptoms of the disease, even if they were recently exposed to the novel coronavirus, reports the New York Times . Models indicate that roughly one-half of transmission events can be linked to individuals still in the pre-symptomatic stage. Susan Butler-Wu, a clinical microbiologist at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, notes that the majority of experts encourage more frequent and widespread testing, especially to reach vulnerable and marginalized sections of the population, so the CDC's modification appears counterintuitive. She is concerned that people may believe the guidelines mean that people without symptoms are unable to pass the virus on to others. Experts warn a relaxation in testing could delay important treatments and conceal or facilitate COVID-19's spread in the community. NIH recently announced the first round of grant recipients for its Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) program, designed to ramp up coronavirus testing. On RADx's website, officials emphasize the importance of prioritizing tests that can "detect people who are asymptomatic." CDC's latest guidance says people who have been in close contact with an infected individual — typically defined as being within six feet of a person with COVID-19 and for at least 15 minutes — "do not necessarily need a test" if they do not have symptoms. CDC said exceptions might be made for "vulnerable" individuals.