CDC: PCR Tests Can Stay Positive for Up to 12 Weeks

CDC boss Rochelle Walensky revealed Wednesday that the agency no longer requires people to test at the end of self-isolation because PCR tests can stay positive for up to 12 weeks.

Noting that these tests can stay positive for up to 12 weeks after infection, Walensky warned “we would have people in isolation for a very long time if we were relying on PCRs.”

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Dr. Rochelle Walensky discusses new questions about COVID rapid tests amid rising cases. @CDCDirector #COVID19 #Omicron https://t.co/kaBqUH9xCY pic.twitter.com/j2fTMx2f3s
— Good Morning America (@GMA) December 29, 2021

This means that for the past 21 months, people sat home for extra days and weeks because their test came back with an irrelevant positive. We didn’t know this 6, 12, 18 months ago? Really?
— Yossi Gestetner (@YossiGestetner) December 29, 2021

Hi @CDCDirector. Does the above mean that we don’t need a negative test 48-72 hours before flying into the US since fake/irrelevant positives can linger for 12 weeks?
— Yossi Gestetner (@YossiGestetner) December 29, 2021

Summit.news reports: In a separate interview, Walensky also admitted Wednesday that the agency’s latest guidance on COVID was based on what the government perceived people would accept.

“It really had a lot to do with what we thought people would be able to tolerate,” Walensky starkly admitted.

CNN's @kaitlancollins: "It sounds like this decision had just as much to do with business as it did the science."@CDCDirector Dr. Rochelle Walensky: "It really had a lot to do with what we thought people would be able to tolerate." pic.twitter.com/Ek3X3S7Q9S
— The Recount (@therecount) December 29, 2021

Correction: We have updated our headline to more accurately reflect the comments made by Rochelle Walensky in her interview with GMA. The original headline ‘CDC Boss Admits PCR Tests Aren’t Reliable’ has been changed to ‘CDC: PCR Tests Can Stay Positive for Up to 12 Weeks’ as the CDC did not make this admission.