Adm. Brett Giroir, assistant secretary of Health and Human Services, speaks about the coronavirus during a press briefing. | Alex Brandon/AP Photo
The CDC is developing guidance that will recommend coronavirus patients no longer be retested to prove they have cleared the disease — a move that comes amid a nationwide testing crunch.
“This is a remnant of very early on when we had cruise ships and people in quarantine that said the first way to get out of quarantine was to have two negative tests 24 hours apart,” HHS testing czar Brett Giroir told reporters Thursday. “That is no longer needed, and it is medically unnecessary.”
He said that most patients can emerge from isolation after three days without symptoms, as long as it has been at least 10 days since their symptoms began. Certain diagnostic tests may produce false positive results for people who are no longer contagious, Giroir said, because the tests pick up “remnant garbage of the virus.”
The end result, he said, is that repeated testing of people who are sick at home is “clogging up the system.”
Background: The forthcoming change in federal policy comes as surging coronavirus cases have strained the nation’s testing capacity.
Quest Diagnostics announced Monday average turnaround times for non-priority coronavirus testing are now in excess of one week, adding that the situation will not improve until the virus’ spread slows.
Not a preservation tactic: When asked if the CDC switch was aimed at reducing pressure on the country’s testing system, Giroir said the decision is based on medical science.
“There is no tactic about it. It is not a result of shortages. It is unnecessary,” he said. “If we thought it was necessary to retest people, we would say so.”
The exceptions: The virus may remain longer in severely ill patients who need intensive care units or are immunodeficient, according to Giroir. “Those are the ones you consult your health care provider,” he said.
What’s next: Giroir said the government is “dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s” on the recommendations, so expect to see the CDC issue the document soon.
