Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is updating guidance on its website to provide more information on how far COVID-19 spreads through the air. “There is evidence that under certain conditions, people with COVID-19 seem to have infected others who were more than 6 feet away,” the CDC said in its revised guidelines on Monday. It continued, “These transmissions occurred within enclosed spaces that had inadequate ventilation. Sometimes the infected person was breathing heavily, for example, while singing or exercising.” “Under these circumstances, scientists believe that the amount of infectious smaller droplet and particles produced by the people with COVID-19 became concentrated enough to spread the virus to other people. The people who were infected were in the same space during the same time or shortly after the person with COVID-19 had left.” Finally, the guidelines added, “Available data indicate that it is much more common for the virus that causes COVID-19 to spread through close contact with a person who has COVID-19 than through airborne transmission.” FILE PHOTO: A man wearing a protective face mask walks past an illustration of a virus outside a regional science centre, as the city and surrounding areas face local restrictions in an effort to avoid a local lockdown being forced upon the region, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Oldham, Britain August 3, 2020. REUTERS/Phil Noble This is far from the first time the CDC has updated its COVID-19 guidelines, as IJR reported. In August, the agency revised its guidelines to say that people who have been exposed to the virus but are not showing symptoms do not need to be tested for the virus.   Just weeks later, the agency reversed itself and said people who have been exposed to COVID-19 should be tested regardless of whether they were experiencing symptoms. The change in guidance regarding COVID-19 testing parked concerns that health information about the virus has been politicized by administration officials.  The New York Times reported in September that the change in testing guidelines was made over the objections of scientists at the agency. Additionally, they claimed the new guidance was drafted by the Department of Health and Human Services, and the website was updated without a review from the CDC.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is reversing course on guidelines for testing asymptomatic carriers of the coronavirus. “Due to the significance of asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic transmission, this guidance further reinforces the need to test asymptomatic persons, including close contacts of a person with documented SARS-CoV-2 infection,” the agency said. It added, “If you have been in close contact, such as within 6 feet of a person with documented SARS-CoV-2 infection for at least 15 minutes and do not have symptoms. You need a test. Please consult with your healthcare provider or public health official. Testing is recommended for all close contacts of persons with SARS-CoV-2 infection.” The revised guidelines come less than a month after the CDC suggested asymptomatic carriers do not need to be tested, as IJR previously reported. The agency originally indicated they do not need to be tested “unless you are a vulnerable individual or your health care provider or State or local public health officials recommend you take one.” Adm. Brett Giroir, Assistant Secretary for Health at the Department of Health and Human Service, released a statement defending the agency’s original guidelines. “This Guidance has been updated to reflect current evidence and best public health practices, and to further emphasize using CDC-approved prevention strategies to protect yourself, your family, and the most vulnerable of all ages,” Giroir said. The number of coronavirus cases remain persistently high across the nation. As of Friday afternoon, more than 6,709,600 Americans have been infected with the coronavirus and at least 197,700 have died. There have been an average of 40,111 cases per day over the past week, which is a 1% decrease from the average two weeks prior. On Thursday, the United States reported at least 849 new coronavirus related deaths and a total of 45,434 new cases.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that dining out could be one of the riskiest activities contributing to the spread of the coronavirus. The public health institute released a report on Thursday explaining why dining is such a high risk citing the removal of masks to eat and drink while patronizing restaurants. CDC officials conducted interviews with more than 300 people who experienced coronavirus-related symptoms, roughly half tested positive for COVID-19. Out of all the tests administered, approximately half returned with positive results. “Eating and drinking on-site at locations that offer such options might be important risk factors associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection,” the report states. It continued, “Efforts to reduce possible exposures where mask use and social distancing are difficult to maintain, such as when eating and drinking, should be considered to protect customers, employees, and communities.” The latest study comes as the United States braces for the fall and winter months which are projected to be particularly challenging with the existence of COVID-19. Over the summer, most states that shut down during the spring entered some form of phased reopening. Now, many restaurants across the country have also resumed business operations in some capacity. Like the CDC, Dr. Anthony Fauci and many other public health experts are warning Americans to remain vigilant in adhering to mitigation guidelines to decrease the spread of the coronavirus. Todd Rice, an associate professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, also echoed similar sentiments as he stressed the importance of being particularly careful about adhering to mitigation guidelines. “If people are going to eat out, they need to be thoughtful about how they’re going to do it,” Rice told NBC News, adding, “Even if I’m sitting at a table and the food hasn’t arrived yet, I still wear a mask. I won’t sit at a table that’s next to somebody else.”