Coronavirus News Update for Sept. 18 – CDC Testing Recommendation Was Not Written by its Scientists

A much-criticized recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published last month was not written by the center’s scientists and was published despite their objections. The guidance that was released stated that it was not necessary to test asymptomatic individuals even if they had been exposed to someone with the coronavirus.  Admiral Brett P. Giroux, the administration’s coronavirus testing czar, called the document a “CDC action” that had been written with input from the agency’s director, Dr. Robert R. Redfield.

Meanwhile, over 30 million cases of the novel coronavirus have been reported as of early Friday and the total now stands at 30.49 million, with a global reported death toll of over 950,000 people.

Israel prepares to celebrate the holiest period in the Jewish calendar, the Ten Days of Awe, which include Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, Yom Kippur, and the days in between, under lockdown as the coronavirus surges there. The country is now one of the few to impose a second, country-wide lockdown.

Officials in New York City said they would delay the reopening of schools for in-person instruction for a second time.  Schools were originally set to open on September 21. Instead, in-person classes will start on a rolling basis and students in pre-Kindergarten classes will return then, while all others will begin the school year via remote instruction. Elementary schools will reopen on September 29, while junior high and high schools will open their doors to students on October 1.

(Photo: Accura Media Group)