New CDC guidelines that say less tests for coronavirus are necessary were pushed through while Dr. Anthony Fauci was recovering from surgery last week.
Donald Trump has repeatedly pushed for less testing to reduce the amount of officially documented COVID-19 cases in order to ease his political burden. A federal source told CNN the changes came “from the top down.”
CNN reports: “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.”
HHS Assistant Secretary Brett Giroir told CNN's Jeremy Diamond that the changes were pushed through on Thursday of last week: “Yet Thursday was the same day Dr. Anthony Fauci, a member of the task force, was having vocal cord surgery to remove a polyp. He had general anesthesia and doctors advised him to curtail his talking for a while to allow his vocal cords to recover.”
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo slammed the new guidelines, and Trump for politicizing the entire process.
