ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Florida Health Department released much-awaited new testing guidelines on Thursday.

The guidelines prioritizes for groups at an increased risk for severe illness for COVID-19.

This includes the elderly, immunocompromised, people with comorbidities and pregnant women, as well.

It says that individuals with symptoms who are at an increased risk should get tested soon after symptoms start.

They should also seek early monoclonal antibody or antiviral treatment and seek other medical treatment as necessary.

WATCH: University of South Florida's Dr. Tom Unnasch explains Florida testing guide

The next guidance is for individuals with symptoms who are not at an increased risk.

The guidelines say they should consider getting tested for COVID-19 soon after symptom onset and to seek medical treatment only as necessary.

For individuals who may have been exposed to COVID-19, but have no symptoms, it says testing is unlikely to have any clinical benefit.

University of South Florida's Dr. Tom Unnasch said the problem with the Florida guidelines is they do not limit the spread of the virus and do not protect the vulnerable because of a lack of effective treatments.

"Won't do anything at all to control the spread and it's not going to protect our at risk population whatsoever, because we don't have effective treatments at this point in time," he said.

He said an infected individual is also most infectious up to two days even before symptom onset, rendering the state guidelines null.

In addition to Unnasch, Dr. Michael J. Muszynski, the Orlando associate dean for Clinical Research at the Florida State University, thinks it still can be a good idea to get tested even without symptoms.

“It doesn’t make sense to withhold testing from people who don’t have symptoms because people without symptoms can be infected with COVID," he said.

Florida health officials have different ideas than the CDC does. Compared with CDC guidelines, the federal agency says you should get tested regardless of health status.

• If you have symptoms.
• If you have an exposure within five days of someone infected.
• If not fully vaccinated and referred to get tested by a school, workplace, health care provider, state, etc.

The CDC gets more specific on who does not need to be tested.

Only if you have no symptoms and you've also been infected within three months.

Again these are guidelines, not requirements.

Reporter Ashleigh Mills contributed to this story.