CDC pressured by White House to change COVID-19 testing guidelines: Report

US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention anunced a controversial change in its COVID-19 testing guidelines earlier this week, which doesn’t mandate testing for people without symptoms. change was reportedly made after pressure from higher echelons of Trump administration and deliberations took place in absence of White House coronavirus task force member Dr Anthony Fauci.

updated CDC guidelines were published on August 24 which said that people who had been in close contact with a COVID-19 patient “do t necessarily need a test” if y do t display symptoms. CDC Director Dr Robert Redfield said in a statement that changes to testing guidelines reflected “updated recommendations” from White House coronavirus task force.

Dr Fauci, a member of White House coronavirus task force, has been at loggerheads with Trump over his statements related to virus response. Recently, he called White House effort to discredit him "bizarre" and urged an end to divisiveness over country's response to COVID-19 pandemic, saying "let's stop this nsense."

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US President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that coronavirus cases in United States are highest in world because of greater testing, trying to wash his hands of failed COVID-19 response. United States has reported over 5.8 million coronavirus cases and more than 179,000 related deaths so far, according to Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.

Criticism of move

Several Democrats questioned this move and wondered wher it was in line with Trump’s strategy. New York Goverr Andrew Cuomo said that reversal of COVID-19 testing strategy is t based on science but on politics, calling decision “indefensible”. Taking to Twitter, Cuomo said that administration is following “denial” strategy to show fewer cases of coronavirus. He added that politics is dangerous to public health.

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