The short answer is yes, of course. The Centers for Disease Control, a supposed non-partisan agency, is incredibly partisan, and incredibly political in its decision-making processes.
In this case, shortly before Christmas, the CDC changed quarantine rules in the face of rising omicron cases down to just 5 days after a positive Covid-19 test. After day 5, people can return to work wearing a mask and generally continue life, following whatever rules an employer puts in place. Noticeably missing from the guidelines was any requirement that the individual must receive a negative Covid-19 test before they re-enter the workplace or society.
This omission caused many experts to ask why the CDC would suddenly abandon guidelines that call for an ill patient to provide proof that their viral infection can no longer infect others.
We now have the answer to that question. The Biden administration, despite pledging since January of 2021 to ramp up the availability of rapid tests, failed to do so which means the economy and country would grind to a halt in many areas as Covid-positive workers try to find a rapid test to prove they can come back from quarantine.
The end result is politically-driven CDC guidance that tries to ignore and pave over Biden’s spectacular failure to prepare for the winter Covid wave which he was warned about back in September:
The CDC’s guidance says people who have tested positive, or those who suspect they have COVID due to symptoms, should isolate for at least five days.
The agency faced criticism last week for not recommending a negative COVID test as a condition to end isolation.
The CDC still doesn’t say people need to test negative to leave their isolation, but its newly updated guidance now says that anyone ending isolation who “has access to a test” and “wants to test” can do so.
If they test positive, they should isolate for another five days, the CDC says. But if they are symptom free after five days and haven’t tested, they can also go out in the world again. Either way, they should keep wearing a mask for five more days. And they really shouldn’t travel, but still can if they wear a mask and in no circumstance is it necessary to test negative.
For anyone who ever accused the Trump administration of trying to ignore the “science” in its Covid-19 response, please explain the “science” in this case. The CDC, which is incredibly test-friendly and wants testing upon testing now has decided that providing proof of a negative Covid-19 test is unnecessary in the face of omicron infections.
If we jump back a couple of weeks, Dr. Fauci explained the decision as being crafted to make sure there isn’t a disastrous worker shortage due to a lack of available tests:
"The reason is that with the sheer volume of new cases that we are having and that we expect to continue with Omicron, one of the things we want to be careful of is that we don't have so many people out," Dr. Anthony Fauci explains why CDC changed Covid isolation guidelines. pic.twitter.com/g48XwcDdJh
— The Situation Room (@CNNSitRoom) December 27, 2021
So, there it is, a politically-driven health decision made by an agency that wraps itself in “science” when it wants to, and “politics” when it has to. The embarrassment right now that would be happening if the CDC was criticizing the White House for not adequately preparing for a potential winter wave would be yet another scandal for the Biden administration to tackle.
Instead, what we’re seeing is a downplay of omicron cases, while the White House continues to push vaccinations as the be-all and end-all of their pandemic response.
The amount of confusion from the CDC and Biden administration can’t be understated here:
CNN medical analyst @DrLeanaWen says CDC clarification recommending 5 more days of isolation if patients test positive (though test still not required) “made things worse.”
“I think they should be up front and say they can’t do this because we just don’t have enough tests …” pic.twitter.com/uFNilLVN2i
— The Recount (@therecount) January 5, 2022
At least Wen is willing to put herself out there when she calls for the CDC to admit they simply lack the testing capacity to recommend or require testing as part of an end to Covid quarantine.
It’s nearly one solid year into Biden’s first term vow to “shut down the virus” rather than the country. Instead, Biden has succeeded in shutting down the public’s attention span for confusing and politically-driven medical advice from an agency that was once the gold standard around the world.
