Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
CDC Now Recommends The Vaccinated Should Get Tested For Covid If Exposed
In addition to revising its mask guidance on Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also quietly updated its testing recommendations for people who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. The agency now advises that vaccinated people be tested for the virus if they come into contact with someone with Covid-19, even if they have no symptoms. Previously, the health agency had said that fully vaccinated people did not need to be tested after exposure to the virus unless they were experiencing symptoms. (Anthes and Mandavilli, 7/29)
Fully vaccinated people who are exposed to COVID-19 should get tested three to five days after and take additional precautions, new recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say. The new recommendations are included in the CDC鈥檚 updated guidelines for fully vaccinated people. They were released Tuesday in response to new data that shows the highly contagious delta variant behaves differently than other strains of COVID and that in 鈥渞are occasions鈥 some vaccinated people may be able to spread it to others. (Aldridge, 7/28)
The recent surge of COVID-19 cases is strengthening the case for more frequent testing. The more contagious Delta variant threatens the fuller reopening of offices and schools in the fall. But regular testing 鈥 especially with cheap and almost instantaneous tests 鈥 could help catch cases before they have a chance to spread. (Walsh, 7/29)