Fauci: CDC considering COVID test requirement as part of isolation recommendation

NIAID director Anthony Fauci on Sunday said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is gauging whether to include a negative COVID test as part of its updated guidance after receiving criticism for not doing so initially.

Why it matters: Fauci's remarks on CNN's "State of the Union" come just a week after the CDC shortened its recommended isolation time for people who test positive for COVID-19 from 10 days to five days if they're asymptomatic.

• The latest guidance received significant pushback from some health professionals for not requiring a negative COVID test ahead of leaving isolation, according to AP.
• Fauci reiterated that testing before leaving isolation is a "reasonable thing to do," adding that "the CDC soon will be coming out with more clarification."

What they're saying: "There has been some concern about why we don’t ask people at that five-day period to get tested," Fauci said in an appearance on ABC's "Meet the Press."

• "Looking at it again, there may be an option in that, that testing could be a part of that, and I think we’re going to be hearing more about that in the next day or so from the CDC," he added.
• "We are definitely in the middle of a very severe surge and uptick in cases. The acceleration of cases that we’ve seen is unprecedented, gone well beyond anything we’ve seen before."