Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
A sudden change in federal guidelines on coronavirus testing came this week as a result of pressure from the upper ranks of the Trump administration, a federal health official close to the process tells CNN.
"It's coming from the top down," the official said of the new directive from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The new guidelines raise the bar on who should get tested, advising that some people without symptoms probably don't need it -- even if they've been in close contact with an infected person.
Previously, the CDC said viral testing was appropriate for people with recent or suspected exposure, even if they were asymptomatic.
CDC would not comment on questions about its own policy change. A CDC spokesperson referred all questions to the Department of Health and Human Services.
Dr. Carlos del Rio, an infectious disease specialist and associate dean of Emory University School of Medicine, said on CNN Newsroom on Wednesday that the CDC has not provided evidence to explain the changes.
"I mean, the evidence that I'm aware of as of today is that close to 40% of the cases of the infections are asymptomatic and asymptomatic people transmit the infection," Del Rio said.
"So, not testing -- I mean, if you have been in contact with somebody for a few minutes, that's okay. But if you have been in contact for 50 minutes and that people doesn't have a mask, I think you need to be tested regardless if you have symptoms or not. We know especially young people going into the house and then transmit inside the household. So, the guidelines baffle me and I really don't understand them."
Infectious disease experts are not only confused but also troubled by a change in testing guidelines made by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which said people without symptoms may not need a test – even if they’ve been exposed to the coronavirus.
“Our work on the ‘silent’ spread underscored the importance of testing people who have been exposed to COVID-19 regardless of symptoms,” tweeted Alison Galvani, director for the Center for Infectious Disease Modeling and Analysis at Yale School of Medicine. “This change in policy will kill.”
Before changes were made Monday, the CDC website said testing was recommended “for all close contacts of persons with SARS-CoV-2 infection.”
The website now says someone who was in close contact (within 6 feet) of a person with COVID-19 for at least 15 minutes but doesn’t have symptoms does not “necessarily need a test.” The agency said exceptions are made for “vulnerable” individuals, or those who were recommended to take a test by a health care provider or public health official.
CDC was pressured 'from the top down' to change coronavirus testing guidance, official says
So as not to be "tricked" into believing that Covid-19 transmission is declining (when it's not) we'll also rely on hospitalization data and test positivity rates. If 'reported' new cases are declining then hospitalization data should also be declining (if Covid-19 is indeed lessening in transmission). If we see hospitalizations start to rise (along with test positivity rates) even as reported new cases are declining - then we'll know that something is rotten in Denmark.
This new Covid-19 antigen test does not conflict with the new CDC guidance on testing (that I posted about yesterday) - because the FDA emergency use authorization for Abott Labs new "BinaxNOW" rapid test is only meant for people with Covid-19 symptoms.
Abbott Labs got emergency approval from the US Food and Drug Administration for its rapid antigen test, which can detect a Covid-19 infection in 15 minutes.
The FDA's emergency use authorization is for Abbott's BinaxNOW Covid-19 Ag Card. The size of a credit card, BinaxNOW will cost $5 and will come with a free mobile app that will let people who test negative display a temporary, date-stamped health pass that is renewed each time a new test is taken.
The antigen test, in which involves a nasal swab, uses the same type of technology as a flu test. Abbott says it anticipates producing 50 million BinaxNOW tests a month by October.
"The massive scale of this test and app will allow tens of millions of people to have access to rapid and reliable testing," said Joseph Petrosino, a professor of virology at Baylor College of Medicine, in a statement released by Abbott.
Antigen tests, which look for pieces of the virus, are not as reliable as traditional Polymerase chain reaction tests, which look for the virus' genetic material. However they are a quicker, less expensive and less invasive. PCR tests have been beset by supply chain problems as well as back-ups at labs which have delayed results and frustrated patients, doctors and public health experts alike.
President Donald Trump plans to announce Thursday the purchase of 150 million rapid Covid-19 tests as part of a $750 million agreement with Abbott Laboratories, a White House official confirmed.
Trump plans to use his speech at the Republican National Convention to announce the deal, the official said.
"Due to the potential for decreased sensitivity compared to molecular assays, negative results from an antigen test may need to be confirmed with a molecular test prior to making treatment decisions," the FDA said in its authorization of the BinaxNOW test. "Negative results from an antigen test should be considered in the context of clinical observations, patient history and epidemiological information."
The test is only authorized for use in patients suspected to have Covid-19 and "within seven days of symptom onset," the FDA says, meaning it is not authorized to test asymptomatic or presymptomatic people.
"This test could be used at point-of-care settings, like a doctor's office, emergency room or some schools," the FDA said. "Given the simple nature of this test, it is likely that these tests could be made broadly available."
Last edited by wondermint2; 08-27-2020 at 02:31 PM..
As I've mentioned previously - IMO the only real way to control Covid-19 outbreaks in most schools is to regulary test students/employees even if they don't have Covid-19 symptoms. The following two instances tend to support my theory:
Before arriving on campus at the University of Notre Dame earlier this month, nearly all undergraduate and graduate students took COVID-19 tests. More than 11,800 tests yielded 33 positive cases, for a positivity rate of 0.28%.
By Aug. 18, eight days after classes started, the campus had 147 confirmed cases and a positivity rate of nearly 16%. The cases had overwhelmed the school's testing and isolation measures and put the remainder of the fall semester in jeopardy, school officials said.
The rising cases -- which now total nearly 500 -- caused the school to "come up with a new battle plan," Provost Marie Lynn Miranda said in a video address to students last Friday.
The university has also expanded its COVID-19 testing. On Friday, it launched randomized testing of its student body to help identify asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic cases. Over the five days since, Notre Dame conducted 2,175 total tests -- about half of the overall number of tests it's conducted since Aug. 3. The campus positivity rate has decreased to around 3%.
The university had initially advised that only those students with a set criteria of symptoms look into getting tested. Now, anyone who believes they have had direct contact with someone infected with COVID-19 can get a test -- something Palermo also believes should have been the case from the beginning.
"I think the only way to be safely in person is to mandate regular testing of all students," she said. "I know it's expensive, but it's worth it."
Out of 1,022 people who either attended or worked at several overnight summer camps in Maine that implemented measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, only three tested positive for it, a new study says. And those three cases did not result in secondary infections because proper measures were taken.
“Approximately 1 week after camp arrival, all 1,006 attendees without a previous diagnosis of COVID-19 were tested, and three asymptomatic cases were identified,” the study says.
Two adults and one child eventually tested positive, despite showing no symptoms.
A new CDC guidance says that people who do not show coronavirus symptoms do not always need diagnostic tests. But people without symptoms can still spread the disease. Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding, an epidemiologist, said the Maine approach showed what a “wrong-headed move” the CDC was making by dropping the guidance to test asymptomatic people.
If the camps had not done such testing, they would not have found the three people infected with the virus. Those people could then have spread the disease to other campers.
Last edited by wondermint2; 08-27-2020 at 02:48 PM..
Residents who have been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic and have experienced unemployment or underemployment may apply for rental assistance to prevent eviction.
Applications will be accepted starting Sept. 8, and the application period will end Sept. 30, or when all funds are expended, whichever occurs first. Links for applications will be available (beginning Sept. 8) on the Office of Housing and Community Development pages on the City of Sarasota website:
When Sarasota County School students return to school Monday, it will be unlike any first day they’ve ever experienced.
Parents won’t be able to walk their children to their classrooms. Desks will be spaced out or have plastic barriers. Rooms will be stocked with sanitizer and cleaning supplies, and everyone will wear a mask.
Although these factors have caused contention around the decision to return to brick-and-mortar schooling, a majority of Sarasota’s public school students elected to return to the classroom.
Approximately 25,000, or 70% of public school students, will return in-person, while 10,160, or 28%, will partake in the remote learning option. One percent of students, or 440, will participate in full-time Florida virtual schooling, while 479, or 1%, will home school.
Siding with teachers unions, a Leon County circuit judge Thursday lifted a stay of his earlier ruling that a state order requiring schools to reopen in August is unconstitutional.
Judge Charles Dodson on Monday issued a temporary injunction accusing Gov. Ron DeSantis, Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran and other state education officials of ignoring the Florida Constitution by requiring school districts to resume face-to-face instruction this month amid the coronavirus pandemic. School districts risk losing state funding if they don’t comply with the emergency order, issued by Corcoran on July 6.
Attorneys for Corcoran and DeSantis immediately filed a notice of appealing Dodson’s ruling to the 1st District Court of Appeal. Under law, that notice of appeal automatically placed a stay on Dodson’s ruling — effectively putting it on hold until the Tallahassee-based appeals court can resolve the case.
Late Tuesday, attorneys for the Florida Education Association and the Orange County teachers union asked Dodson to lift the stay. The following day, the state’s lawyers argued the stay should remain in place, saying that failing to do so would “sow confusion and disarray” among students, local school officials and families.
But in a three-page order Thursday, Dodson rejected the state’s arguments, writing that they were essentially a rehash of the state’s case presented during a 2½-day hearing last week.
Last edited by wondermint2; 08-28-2020 at 01:50 PM..
Apparently the FDA is now considering allowing at-home Covid-19 tests - without the users being required to report the results to authorities. I don't believe these are on the market yet - however obviously if this comes to pass it will put a kink in our method of monitoring new cases. We would still be able to use hospitalizations as an indicator (with the realization that hospitalizations are a lagging indicator). I'll keep an eye this but for now it's not effecting the case numbers that I report on.
An apparent shift in thinking at the Food and Drug Administration could clear the way for more home coronavirus tests, according to Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former FDA chief under President Donald Trump.
Gottlieb told CNBC on Friday that a barrier to bringing rapid, home tests for Covid-19 to the market has been an FDA requirement that results must be reported to local health officials.
"But FDA seems to have backed off that mandate," Gottlieb said in a "Squawk Box" interview. "What they said on a call last week with stakeholders is, as long as the test is reliable and accurate, the FDA is not going to use the requirement to have to report the test result to a public health authority as a way to keep the product off the market, as an absolute condition."
Last edited by wondermint2; 08-28-2020 at 02:19 PM..
The University of Arizona discovered two students had the coronavirus with no symptoms and were able to stop an outbreak in its tracks because of wastewater testing.
University President Dr. Robert Robbins confirmed to local outlet KOLD News 13 that wastewater samples from the Likins Hall dorm in Tucson came back positive for COVID-19, prompting the school to test the 311 students and staff in that dorm. Of those tested, two were positive and have since been put in isolation. The school is also conducting contact tracing, Robbins said.
Dr. Ian Pepper, an environmental science professor at the university and the director of its Water & Energy Sustainable Technology Center, told the outlet that his team has been sampling sewage from dorms, as it “can pick up a single positive case in a group of 10,000.”
Earlier this month, Pepper talked to the “Arizona Science” podcast about his team’s work, sharing that “poop can tell you the truth about yourself and your community.”
“By analyzing the sewage, we’re actually monitoring the whole community with one test,” he said, adding that wastewater testing can give “the total virus load shed by infected individuals both with symptoms and asymptomatic ― no symptoms.”
Pepper went on to say that “sewage surveillance is a leading indicator” because “you can detect the virus in sewage seven days prior to symptoms appearing.”
Wastewater testing involves monitoring the presence of coronavirus RNA in the water and can be done very fast. Pepper says he can turn results around the same day that they collect the sample.
Hmm seems to me the Manatee School District is making it harder to obtain information on Covid-19 outbreaks. Which leads to the question: If they felt that they had everything (mostly) under control - why would they feel the need to stop their weekly public updates on Covid-19? Inquiring minds want to know...
Half a dozen Manatee County schools have reported new COVID-19 cases over the past several days.
District spokesman Mike Barber provided the update on Friday afternoon, responding to an inquiry from the Bradenton Herald. The list included two cases reported by the newspaper earlier this week (at Manatee High and Gullett Elementary), along with five cases that were previously unreported.
Barber also confirmed that he would no longer provide a weekly update of cases on Friday afternoons, a brief practice by the district. He said the district was now handling daily reports “just like public records requests.”
“If you want a daily update, it must be requested,” Barber said in an email.
At least 18 Manatee County schools have reported COVID-19 cases since the start of school on Aug. 17.
Last edited by wondermint2; 08-28-2020 at 05:34 PM..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
