CDC Changes Testing Guidelines: For Asymptomatic People

CDC……People without symptoms “do not necessarily need a test.”

Ya think?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has changed its COVID-19 testing guidelines and now says people without symptoms “do not necessarily need a test” – even if they’ve been exposed to COVID-19.

Just last week, the CDC updated its travel guidelines that no longer mandate a 14-day quarantine for anyone who’s traveled outside of their state or the country. The revisions to CDC guidelines have been met with concern by medical experts, who caution that less testing may lead to more cases and hinder contact tracing efforts.

Tensions between the federal government and scientists remain high: Earlier this week, some doctors spoke out against the approval of blood plasma as a COVID-19 treatment, and what that may mean for future vaccines, as the Food and Drug Administration offered inaccurate data as evidence of its effectiveness.

Meanwhile, efforts to learn more about how the virus spreads remain unwavering. Researchers in Massachusetts are tracking the number of cases linked to “superspreader” events — such as weddings, parties and conferences — which could help states decide what events or activities are safe during the ongoing pandemic.

Some significant developments:

As Hurricane Laura barrels toward the Gulf Coast, Texas is altering preparation efforts for Hurricane Laura, providing testing at some shelters, hosting evacuees at hotels, and reducing the number of evacuees allowed on state and local buses.
Oahu, Hawaii’s most populous island, is returning to stay-at-home orders in its fight against COVID-19.
An outbreak in a Maine jail is being directly linked to an indoor wedding reception, which has now led to at least 60 positive cases and one death.
Florida’s medical examiners – facing a massive statewide backlog – are no longer required to certify COVID-19 deaths. It means that deaths will be more quickly counted, but will likely create tracking inconsistencies.
American Airlines is laying off 17,500 frontline workers due to the coronavirus travel slump.
Los Angeles County – the county with the highest number of infections in the U.S. – on Tuesday reported fewer than 1,000 cases for the first time since early June.

📈 Today’s numbers: The U.S. has more than 5.7 million confirmed infections and 178,000 deaths. Worldwide, there have been more than 820,000 deaths and 23.9 million cases, according to John Hopkins University data.