With 5.8 million Americans having been infected with Covid-19 and more than 179,000 deaths in the U.S. from the virus, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Wednesday blasted the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for issuing new guidance that reverses its position on testing.
The CDC now says that people do not necessarily need to get tested for Covid-19 after coming in contact with people who are positive for the disease. CDC also stated that people traveling from areas where there is a high prevalence of the virus no longer need to quarantine. The CDC guidance was updated on its website without public fanfare on Monday.
The CDC previously had issued guidance that anyone with recent known or suspected exposure to someone with the virus should get tested.
In a conference call with reporters, Cuomo was joined by state Health Commissioner Howard Zucker.
Cuomo said, “The only plausible rationale is they want fewer people taking tests because, as the president has said, if we don’t take tests you won’t know that people are Covid-positive and the number of Covid-positive people will come down. Yes, that is true. That is his policy of ‘deny the problem.’”
Cuomo said that the state would not be following the new CDC guidance. “I consider it political propaganda. I would caution private companies against following CDC guidance.”
Zucker said, “This is indefensible from a public health point of view and I have to say it makes absolutely no sense and I’ve spoken to the scientists at the CDC and they say it’s political, so I concur with all you’re saying that this is just indefensible.”
Cuomo said, “(Trump) now has CDC carrying forward his political agenda and it is frightening and it is alarming. This is the same CDC that was supposed to guard public health. And was supposed to track the virus that was in China last December. It’s the same CDC that showed that they either lied to the American people or they’re incompetent because they didn’t track the virus in China. And they didn’t track the virus leaving China and going to Europe in January, February, March. And that’s why New York was ambushed.”
Admiral Brett Giroir, the Trump administration’s assistant health secretary, told NBC News today that the new guidance was issued to reflect current evidence and best health practices.
“The history books are going to record this. Shame on the people in the CDC. These will be indefensible actions in the light of history. Indefensible,” Cuomo said.
“What possible rationale is there to say, ‘You’re in close contact with a Covid-positive person and you don’t need a test.’ What plausible rationale? And this from the same CDC that already disgraced itself when they said there’s no such thing as asymptomatic spread and then totally reversed themselves.”
Cuomo knows best??? Nah, he’s pretty much ruined the NY economy with his non-science data and restrictions. His policies had sunk the state budget long before the Covid came around and the Feds are never going to bailout/pay NY to give free health care and/or education to illegals.
What’s indefensible was Cuomo’s mandating nursing homes take in Covid positive patients while simultaneously giving those nursing home operators (who also donated big to his campaign) immunity.
Cuomo alone is responsible for the death of over 10k seniors in NY yet he’s the one writing a book on his great handling of the crisis.
Cuomo had orchestrated the 5th most deaths world wide in his NY. The comfort went unused, the JJC went unused. Cuomo should not be making anymore decisions.