The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has changed its guidance once again, acknowledging new information on its website was confusing about the low risk of contracting COVID-19 from contaminated surfaces.
The CDC is now saying coronavirus can “possibly” be spread on surfaces and objects, though the virus is mainly transmitted between people.
This is not the first time the nation’s premier public health agency has had to reverse course on information related to the coronavirus pandemic, including the agency’s evolving guidance on whether a face mask should or should not be worn in public.
The CDC also has frequently been at odds with the White House over the response to the outbreak.
The CDC initially changed the information about transmission risk from surfaces Wednesday, saying the novel coronavirus “does not spread easily” by “touching surfaces or objects.”
In March, CDC warned “it may be possible” to spread the coronavirus on surfaces and objects. Two months later, the CDC updated its website advisory to classify surfaces as a medium by which the virus does not easily spread.
Heading into Memorial Day weekend, CDC sent out a press release to clarify any misunderstanding, blaming edits on the website for a lack of clarity.
“After media reports appeared that suggested a change in CDC’s view on transmissibility, it became clear that these edits were confusing,” the press release published Friday read.
“It may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes. This is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads, but we are still learning more about how this virus spreads,” the press statement continued.
The CDC also notes COVID-19, the potentially deadly respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus, is not easily transmitted between humans and animals.
The website warns people the virus can spread easily between people who are within 6 feet of one another through respiratory droplets from sneezing or talking.
The CDC also has made corrections or reversed previous guidance regarding the pandemic.
In early April, the CDC suggested people wear cloth face masks when they go out in public, even if they are healthy. Several localities have now made it mandatory to wear a face-covering when entering a business.
Previous guidance from the agency recommended that only healthcare workers and people who had the virus or were showing COVID-19 symptoms should wear masks, but healthy people didn’t need to under normal circumstances.
The CDC also initially botched the test kits, putting the U.S. behind on testing for coronavirus as early as February. The early tests were faulty and would show false negatives.
