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NEW Rules: CDC Now Says Exposed Healthy People 'Don’t Necessarily' Need COVID Test

Healthy people who’ve been exposed to COVID-19 “do not necessarily need a test” if they don’t have symptoms, the Centers for Disease Control said this week, reversing a previous recommendation.

To test or not?

To test or not?

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons: governortomwolf

The CDC previously urged testing for anyone who'd come into close contact with an infected COVID patient, whether or not they themselves had symptoms.

The centers now says that most healthy people should be tested if they develop symptoms following an exposure – among them, fever, cough or shortness of breath -- but not necessarily if they don't.

Some experts agree with the new guidelines, although they also say that anyone who’s been significantly exposed should still at least self-quarantine for 14 days – a guideline that the CDC has stuck to.

Others argue that contact tracing of asymptomatic people helps gauge how quickly the virus that causes COVID-19 spreads – and, by doing so, offer the best chance at stemming an outbreak.

President Trump, meanwhile, has said he believes the U.S. has the world’s highest number of coronavirus cases because of the amount of tests given.

You’re considered exposed if you spend more than 15 minutes within six feet of someone who has the coronavirus.

Older adults and people with chronic medical conditions should still be tested after exposure, the CDC adds.

First responders, health care workers and residents and staff in nursing homes or long term care facilities should do the same, it says.

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