Trump administration officials reportedly pressured CDC to change COVID-19 testing guidelines


The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reportedly released controversial new guidelines on COVID-19 testing after being pressured to do so by top Trump administration officials.
In an updated guidance this week, the CDC said those exposed to COVID-19 but who don't have symptoms do not "necessarily need a test," unless they're in a vulnerable group or their health-care provider or state or local officials recommend they get tested. This came after the CDC was "instructed by higher-ups within the Trump administration" to make the change, The New York Times reports.
The new guidelines were reportedly "not written by the CDC but were imposed," the Times also writes. CNN previously reported the same, quoting one official as saying, "it's coming from the top down."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Experts had raised concerns about the CDC's decision to reverse its earlier guidance, which said anyone in close contact with someone infected with COVID-19 should be tested. Dr. Carl Bergstrom described the new guidelines as "remarkable and troubling," and said not testing asymptomatic people would make contact tracing impossible. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) also slammed the change as "indefensible," saying New York is "not going to follow" the updated guidance because "I consider it political propaganda." California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said on Wednesday that his state "will not be influenced by that change," either.
President Trump has previously suggested the U.S. should conduct fewer tests in order to lower reported coronavirus case numbers. Trump administration coronavirus testing czar Admiral Brett Giroir defended the change to the Times, saying, "This was a product produced by the scientific and medical people that was discussed extensively at the task force."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
New FDA chiefs limit Covid-19 shots to elderly, sick
speed read The FDA set stricter approval standards for booster shots
-
US overdose deaths plunged 27% last year
speed read Drug overdose still 'remains the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-44,' said the CDC
-
Trump seeks to cut drug prices via executive order
speed read The president's order tells pharmaceutical companies to lower prescription drug prices, but it will likely be thrown out by the courts
-
RFK Jr. visits Texas as 2nd child dies from measles
Speed Read An outbreak of the vaccine-preventable disease continues to grow following a decade of no recorded US measles deaths
-
Shingles vaccine cuts dementia risk, study finds
Speed Read Getting vaccinated appears to significantly reduce the chances of developing Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia
-
Measles outbreak spreads, as does RFK Jr.'s influence
Speed Read The outbreak centered in Texas has grown to at least three states and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is promoting unproven treatments
-
RFK Jr. offers alternative remedies as measles spreads
Speed Read Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. makes unsupported claims about containing the spread as vaccine skepticism grows
-
Texas outbreak brings 1st US measles death since 2015
Speed read The outbreak is concentrated in a 'close-knit, undervaccinated' Mennonite community in rural Gaines County