US health officials on Monday cut isolation restrictions for Americans who catch the coronavirus from 10 to five days, and similarly shortened the time close contacts need to be quarantined. Officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the guidance was in keeping with mounting evidence that people with the coronavirus are most contagious two days before and three days after they develop symptoms.
The decision was prompted by the recent increase in COVID-19 cases induced by the Omicron variant.
Early research suggests that Omicron may cause milder illnesses than older versions of the coronavirus. Experts say that a large number of people are getting infected and therefore being in isolation or quarantine runs the risk of losing the ability of hospitals, airlines and other businesses to stay open.
CDC Director Rochelle Valensky said the country is going to see a lot of Omicron cases.
“All those cases are not going to be serious. In fact many people are going to be asymptomatic, she told The Associated Press on Monday. We want to make sure there is a mechanism by which we can keep society functioning safely while pursuing science. ,
Last week, the agency loosened rules that previously asked health care workers to be out of work for 10 days if they tested positive. The new recommendations state that employees can go back to work after seven days if they test negative and do not have symptoms. And the agency said that if there is a severe shortage of staff, the isolation time could be reduced to five days or so.
Now, the CDC is changing the isolation and quarantine guidance for the general public to be even less strict.
The change is aimed at people who are not experiencing symptoms. People with symptoms during isolation or developing symptoms during quarantine are encouraged to stay home.
The CDC’s isolation and quarantine guidance has confused the public, and the new recommendations are taking place at a time when more people are testing positive for the first time and are seeking guidance, says Lindsey Wiley, an American university public health lawmaker. said the expert.
Still, the guidance remains complex.
Solitude
Isolation rules are for infected people. They are the same for people who have not been vaccinated, partially vaccinated, fully vaccinated, or extended.
They say:
• The clock starts the day you test positive.
• An infected person should go into isolation for five days instead of the earlier 10 days.
• At the end of five days, if you have no symptoms, you can return to normal activities, but you should also wear a mask around other people at home for at least five more days.
• If you still have symptoms after being isolated for five days, stay home until you feel better and then start your five days of wearing a mask at all times.
quarantine
Quarantine rules are for those who were in close contact with an infected person but were not infected themselves. For quarantine, the clock starts from the day someone is alerted that they may have been exposed to the virus.
Earlier, the CDC said that people who were not fully vaccinated and who came into close contact with an infected person should stay home for at least 10 days. Now the agency is saying that only people who get a booster shot can leave the quarantine if they wear a mask in all settings for at least 10 days.
This is a change. Previously, people who were fully vaccinated, which the CDC defined as two doses of Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or one dose of Johnson & Johnson vaccine, could be exempt from quarantine.
Now, people who got their initial shots but didn’t get boosters are in the same situation as those who have been partially vaccinated or not vaccinated at all: They can stop the quarantine after five days if they Wear masks in all settings for five days.
five days
Suspending both isolation and quarantine after five days is not free from danger.
Many people get tested the first time they feel symptoms, but many Americans get tested for other reasons, such as to see if they can leave for family or work. That means a positive test result may not reveal exactly when a person was infected or give a clear picture of when they are most contagious, experts say.
When people become infected, the risk of spreading drops significantly after five days, but it doesn’t disappear for everyone, said Dr. Aaron Glatt, a spokesman for the Infectious Diseases Society of America.
If you reduce that to five days, you will still have a small but significant number of people who are infectious, he said.
So wearing a mask is an important part of CDC guidance, Valensky said.
different recommendations
The new CDC guidance is not a mandate; This is a recommendation for employers and state and local officials. Last week, New York state said it would add on CDC guidance for health care workers who have other important jobs facing a severe staffing shortage.
It’s possible that other states will want to shorten their isolation and quarantine policies, and the CDC is trying to get ahead of the shift. Valensky said it would be helpful to have uniform CDC guidance, which could attract others rather than a mix of policies.
Wiley said that given the timing with the increasing number of cases, the update is believed to come in response to pressure from business interests. But some experts have been calling for change for months, as shorter isolation and quarantine periods appear to be enough to slow the spread, she said.
The CDC’s move follows a decision by UK authorities last week to shorten the period of self-isolation for vaccinated people who test positive for COVID-19.
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