CDC director walks back testing guideline changes amid outcry

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Robert Redfield partially reversed a change to the agency’s coronavirus guidelines amid accusations that the agency was limiting access to tests. Redfield said in a statement given to the Washington Examiner on Thursday that “testing may be considered for all close contacts of confirmed or probable COVID-19 patients." That is a change from new guidelines rolled out this week that suggested that symptomless people should not get tested. That guidance has not been changed on the CDC website. “Testing is meant to drive actions and achieve specific public health objectives. Everyone who needs a COVID-19 test can get a test,” Redfield said. “Everyone who wants a test does not necessarily need a test. The key is to engage the needed public health community in the decision with the appropriate follow-up action.”

When the CDC changed its guidelines earlier this week to say that people without symptoms do not need tests, outside public health experts accused the agency of bending to political pressure to limit testing, disguising the true number of coronavirus cases in the United States. Research has indicated that asymptomatic individuals can transmit the virus to more vulnerable groups, such as the elderly or people with existing health conditions. Until Monday’s changes, the official CDC recommendations were that all people should get tested, even without showing symptoms. Redfield added Thursday that anyone who has been in contact with a confirmed or probable COVID-19 patient should consult a healthcare provider “to determine if [a] test is needed.”

The CDC’s guidelines, Redfield said, were agreed upon by every health expert in the White House coronavirus task force. Adm. Brett Giroir, the task force testing coordinator, also told reporters Wednesday that experts such as Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease doctor, discussed and agreed on the guidelines. Fauci, however, was under anesthesia for a surgical procedure the day that the meeting took place. He said that he was “not part of any discussion or deliberation regarding the new testing recommendations” and that he was “worried it will give people the incorrect assumption that asymptomatic spread is not of great concern.” More than 5.8 million cases and about 180,000 deaths have been confirmed in the U.S. While Giroir said Wednesday that the new guidance was not aimed at limiting testing, the number of tests performed daily in the U.S. has declined in August. The COVID Tracking Project reported that more than 925,000 tests were performed on July 24. About 680,000 tests were performed one month later.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/cdc-director-walks-back-testing-guidelines-amid-public-outcry

Trump administration fends off accusations it tampered with CDC testing guidelines

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/trump-administration-fends-off-accusations-it-tampered-with-cdc-testing-guidelines

Trump to announce $750M deal for 150M Abbott rapid coronavirus tests

President Trump plans to announce Thursday the purchase of at least 150 million rapid coronavirus tests from Abbott Laboratories for $750 million. “This is a major development that will help our country to remain open, get Americans back to work, and kids back to school," White House communications director Alyssa Farah told CNBC. "The Trump administration is proud to partner with Abbott labs to make this purchase possible to help the American people."

Trump will use his speech at the Republican National Convention Thursday night to announce the deal just one day after Abbott received Food and Drug Administration approval for a portable COVID-19 test. The test kit is about the size of a credit card and can produce results in 15 minutes. Abbott stated that the test is more than 97% accurate in diagnosing positive and negative cases. The test will sell for about $5. Abbott announced Wednesday that it will "ship tens of millions of tests in September, ramping production to 50 million tests a month in October." The test could be a serious breakthrough as most COVID-19 tests must be analyzed by laboratories. Many labs have testing backlogs of up to two weeks, meaning people will wait several days for results and could potentially transmit the virus to others in that time. The test is only approved for use "within the first seven days of symptom onset" to be administered by a healthcare provider, meaning it is not authorized to test asymptomatic people.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/trump-to-announce-750m-deal-for-150m-abbott-rapid-coronavirus-tests

North Korea releases new Kim Jong Un photos amid reports he’s in a coma

North Korea’s state news agency has released new photos of Kim Jong Un amid reports he’s been in a coma for months and ceded some power to his sister. The pics appear to show a healthy-looking Kim leading a meeting on Tuesday of the politburo of the Workers Party to call for prevention efforts against the coronavirus and a typhoon, according to the Korean Central News Agency. They were syndicated through the Associated Press, which noted that independent journalists weren’t given access to the event and that the images couldn’t be independently verified. The meeting assessed “some defects in the state emergency anti-epidemic work for checking the inroads of the malignant virus,” KCNA said in a statement.

North Korea hasn’t reported any confirmed cases of COVID-19 but Kim said last month that the virus “could be said to have entered” the country and issued a lockdown after a man was reported to have symptoms. Test results on the man were inconclusive, according to the World Health Organization. The meeting also discussed state emergency measures on preventing crop damage and casualties from Typhoon Bavi, which is expected to wallop the country within days. North Korea’s economy has taken a hit from recent border closures and flood damage. Speculation has long swirled about Kim’s health — with a former aide claiming this week that the despot fell into a coma months ago following a botched heart operation and that his subsequent public appearances were previously recorded. The aide said Kim’s younger sister Kim Yo Jong was poised to help lead the country. Earlier this month, state-sanctioned photos showed Kim arriving in a luxury SUV to tour a North Korean village that was devastated by flooding.

https://nypost.com/2020/08/26/north-korea-releases-new-kim-jong-un-photos-amid-reports-hes-in-a-coma/