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The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said this week that others exposed to COVID-19 but who have no symptoms might not want to be tested, which surprised doctors and politicians and provoked accusations, the recommendation had a political motivation.
The board marks a reversal of the agency’s previous position that recommended testing for all close contacts of other people diagnosed with COVID-19.
Admiral Brett Giroir, undersecretary of fitness at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), said the purpose was to “perform the right tests,” no more testing on its own, and that there was no political tension on the part of management in the decision.
CNN and the New York Times reported Wednesday that U.S. public fitness was ordered through senior Trump administration officials to advance the changes.
“This is a product manufactured by scientists and doctors that is the subject of in-depth discussions within the group of runners,” Giroir said. The working group is led by Vice President Mike Pence.
The president of the American Medical Association, the largest group of physicians in the United States, said the recommendation could increase the spread of the virus.
“Suggesting that other people without symptoms, who have experienced exposure to people with COVID positive, don’t want evidence is a recipe for network spread and more coronavirus spikes,” WADA President Susan Bailey said in a statement.
Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease specialist, told CNN that he was undergoing surgery during the discussion about the change.
“I am involved in interpreting those recommendations and I am involved in this giving other people the erroneous assumption that asymptomatic propagation is not a wonderful concern. In fact, it is,” he said.
The Trump administration has been criticized for its handling of COVID-19 testing, and many states do not have the volume to help in primary outbreaks of the virus.
Trump said at a rally in June that the evidence was a “double-edged sword” because it leads to the discovery of more cases, making the United States look worse than it would otherwise. He added that he suggested to officials “slow down the evidence, please.” A White House official at the time told Reuters it was a joke.
The United States has had more than five million cases diagnosed with COVID-19 and nearly 180,000 other people have died.
California on Wednesday announced an agreement with PerkinElmer to nearly double the state’s probation, and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo temporarily questioned the claim that politics had played no role in the change.
“We want public fitness professionals who engage in public fitness, politics, and we’re going to completely forget about CDC rules,” he told MSNBC.
Tests on other asymptomatic people who have been taken too soon, as they should trip over the virus, can lead to a false sense of security and potentially help spread the virus, Giroir said.
Health experts said resolution can hinder tactile search efforts to prevent the spread of the virus.
“It is inexplicable why this orientation has changed. There is no new science in our knowledge,” Dr. Leana Wen, a former Baltimore fitness commissioner and visiting professor at the Milken Institute of Public Health at George Washington University, told CNN. “We want a lot more evidence, not less.”