The US’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has brought some changes in its COVID-19 testing guidelines. Now, the agency has said that it will no longer recommend testing people who have not demonstrated any symptoms of the virus but have come in close contact with persons suffering from it, as per CDC’s official website.

Earlier, under its rigorous contact tracing measure, CDC had stated that everyone who comes in contact with a Covid-19 positive person should get themselves tested, even if they are asymptomatic.

The CDC website had earlier said as quoted in the CNN report: “Testing is recommended for all close contacts of persons with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Because of the potential for asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic transmission, it is important that contacts of individuals with SARS-CoV-2 infection be quickly identified and tested.”

However, the agency changed its statement on Monday and noted: “If you have been in close contact (within 6 feet) of a person with a Covid-19 infection for at least 15 minutes but do not have symptoms, you do not necessarily need a test unless you are a vulnerable individual or your health care provider or state or local public health officials recommend you take one.”

Those who don’t have Covid-19 symptoms and haven’t been in close contact with someone with a known infection do not need a test, the updated guidelines mentioned.

The agency website further added: “Not everyone needs to be tested. If you do get tested, you should self-quarantine/isolate at home pending test results and follow the advice of your health care provider or a public health professional.”

The CDC guidelines also said that people should get tested if they have symptoms and if the health care provider “may advise a COVID-19 test.”

“It is important to realise that you can be infected and spread the virus but feel well and have no symptoms,” the update version noted.

It also said that local public health officials can request asymptomatic “healthy people” to be tested, depending on cases and spread in an area.

However, according to the CDC’s current best estimate, 40 per cent of infections are asymptomatic and 50 per cent of transmission occurs before symptoms occur.

The CDC did not provide any reason for the change in the guidelines.