As Omicron’s spread outpaces an overwhelming demand for COVID-19 tests, Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo suggests testing fewer people and that if you have no symptoms, not to get tested at all. This suggestion contradicts advice from myriad public health experts.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention currently recommends people having symptoms to get tested if they are not fully vaccinated or have had close contact with someone with COVID-19.
Ladapo said that people at lower risk of severe outcomes, such as children and people without symptoms, can avoid getting tested. However, people more likely to need treatment for COVID-19, such as the elderly, should get tested.
“My department’s goal ... doesn’t restrict access to testing, but reduces the use of low-value testing and prioritizes high-value testing. ... High-value testing is testing that is likely to change outcomes,” Ladapo said during the news conference at Broward Health Medical Center in For...