Coronavirus Testing Offered With Just a Doctor’s Approval, C.D.C. Says

The move greatly increases the number of patients who qualify, but it’s not clear there are enough tests for those who will want them.

By Roni Caryn Rabin and Katie Thomas
March 4, 2020
Updated 4:13 p.m. ET

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday broadened the guidelines for coronavirus testing, allowing anyone who has symptoms like a fever, cough or difficulty breathing to receive a test if a doctor agrees.

The changes greatly expand the pool of patients who may qualify for diagnostic testing. But the nation’s testing capacity is still limited, and experts feared a rush by the worried well just as companies and hospitals are getting new laboratories off the ground.

A surge in coronavirus testing by people who have no real need may divert resources from seriously ill patients whose diagnosis is unknown. When the diagnosis is uncertain, experts noted, it is difficult to know how to use limited protective gear appropriately or whether to isolate the patient.

The loosening of testing criteria comes less than 24 hours after Vice President Mike Pence announced that federal health officials would lift all restrictions on access to testing. The new guidelines will “make it clear that any American can be tested, no restrictions, subject to doctors’ orders.”

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