Let's do less testing?

Sweeping the pandemic under the rug

August 27, 2020

The CDC recently made a surprise announcement in which they changed COVID-19 testing guidelines. Going forward, they recommend that people who had been in close contact with someone (for at least 15 minutes) who was known to have been infected with the virus, would not need to be tested if they did not display symptoms of the disease. (Help me understand the point of making the “at least 15 minutes” distinction when you’re just saying “Don’t bother”?)

In a statement to CNN, HHS Assistant Secretary Brett Giroir said: "This Guidance has been updated to reflect current evidence and best public health practices, and to further emphasize using CDC-approved prevention strategies to protect yourself, your family, and the most vulnerable of all ages." (Note: the ‘evidence’ that was referred to, was not provided.)

When asked about the decision, Dr, Fauci claimed to have been in surgery under general anesthesia when the decision was made, and that he “was not part of any discussion or deliberation regarding the new testing recommendations.” He then added that he was “concerned about the interpretation of these recommendations and worried it will give people the incorrect assumption that asymptomatic spread is not of great concern. In fact, it is.”

There are multiple problems with this decision.

  • Various studies have found “anywhere from 25-80% percent of people with COVID-19 are unaware they have the virus.”

  • One study found “that infectiousness started 2.3 days before symptoms appeared and was at its peak at 0.7 days before the first signs of illness.” (That study’s authors cautioned that their data was dependent on patient memory for the timing of the onset of symptoms.)

  • Another study estimated that 44% of secondary cases in transmission chains were infected by people who were pre-symptomatic.

In other words, we’re reducing the likelihood of finding and isolating people who are infected with COVID-19, and thereby increasing the likelihood of further infections. This graphic from MIT Medical might help make the problem clear.

The standard response has been confusion. Medical professionals questioned why they would make this decision. The answer is simple. There are 68 days until the election and the President needs to be able to tell voters that he’s leading us out of the pandemic. The gamble here is that in hiding asymptomatic cases, the total number of confirmed cases will go down, thereby giving President Trump the ability to claim that he’s reining the coronavirus in. Whether or not he’s successful in his ploy, he’s once again putting himself before the health of the American people.