#CDC now claims people without COVID-19 symptoms may not need a test

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has revised its guidance for coronavirus testing to say that people without symptoms don’t necessarily need to be tested — even if they’ve been in close contact with an infected individual.

Previously, the CDC recommended that anyone who was recently exposed, or suspected they were exposed to the virus be tested.

The new guidelines, posted on Monday, now state that those who have been in close contact — typically defined as being within six feet for at least 15 minutes — with someone who is COVID-positive “do not necessarily need a test” if they’re asymptomatic.

However, the CDC noted exceptions, such as for “vulnerable” individuals, or if healthcare professionals or state and local officials recommend testing.

The sudden change concerned some experts, who noted that people without symptoms are responsible for a large chunk of transmissions.

“This makes no sense,” Dr. Leana Wen, a physician and former Baltimore health commissioner tweeted about the revised guidelines.

“People without symptoms account for up to 50% of transmission,” Wen wrote. “We need MORE testing, not less.”

Dr. Ravina Kullar, an infectious disease expert in California, told Fox News that the CDC’s new advice was “troubling.”

“An individual has a high probability of getting the virus from close contact with someone that has had the virus; why would he/she not be recommended to get tested?,” Kullar told the outlet.

The CDC itself has emphasized that transmissions of the virus by asymptomatic people, or by those not yet showing symptoms, is a major factor in the spreading of the disease.

The agency noted last month that, at best, 40 percent of those infected with COVID-19 don’t show symptoms.

A request for comment to the CDC wasn’t immediately returned. A spokesman for the US Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement that the revision was made “to reflect current evidence and best public health practices.”