info
Google Groups no longer supports new Usenet posts or subscriptions. Historical content remains viewable.
Dismiss
CDC recommends shorter COVID isolation, quarantine for all
0 views
Skip to first unread message
CHICOM Clap
Sep 11, 2023, 1:15:03 AM9/11/23
to
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. health officials on Monday cut isolation
restrictions for Americans who catch the coronavirus from 10 to five
days, and similarly shortened the time that close contacts need to
quarantine.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials said the
guidance is in keeping with growing evidence that people with the
coronavirus are most infectious in the two days before and three
days after symptoms develop.
The decision also was driven by a recent surge in COVID-19 cases,
propelled by the omicron variant.
Early research suggests omicron may cause milder illnesses than
earlier versions of the coronavirus. But the sheer number of people
becoming infected — and therefore having to isolate or quarantine —
threatens to crush the ability of hospitals, airlines and other
businesses to stay open, experts say.
CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said the country is about to see a
lot of omicron cases.
“Not all of those cases are going to be severe. In fact many 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 safely
continue to keep society functioning while following the science.”
Last week, the agency loosened rules that previously called on
health care workers to stay out of work for 10 days if they test
positive. The new recommendations said workers could go back to work
after seven days if they test negative and don’t have symptoms. And
the agency said isolation time could be cut to five days, or even
fewer, if there are severe staffing shortages.
Now, the CDC is changing the isolation and quarantine guidance for
the general public to be even less stringent.
The change is aimed at people who are not experiencing symptoms.
People with symptoms during isolation, or who develop symptoms
during quarantine, are encouraged to stay home.
The CDC’s isolation and quarantine guidance has confused the public,
and the new recommendations are “happening at a time when more
people are testing positive for the first time and looking for
guidance,” said Lindsay Wiley, an American University public health
law expert.
Nevertheless, the guidance continues to be complex.
ISOLATION
The isolation rules are for people who are infected. They are the
same for people who are unvaccinated, partly vaccinated, fully
vaccinated or boosted.
They say:
—The clock starts the day you test positive.
—An infected person should go into isolation for five days, instead
of the previously recommended 10.
—At the end of five days, if you have no symptoms, you can return to
normal activities but must wear a mask everywhere — even at home
around others — for at least five more days.
—If you still have symptoms after isolating for five days, stay home
until you feel better and then start your five days of wearing a
mask at all times.
QUARANTINE
The quarantine rules are for people who were in close contact with
an infected person but not infected themselves.
For quarantine, the clock starts the day someone is alerted they may
have been exposed to the virus.
Previously, the CDC said people who were not fully vaccinated and
who came in close contact with an infected person should stay home
for at least 10 days.
Now the agency is saying only people who got booster shots can skip
quarantine if they wear masks in all settings for at least 10 days.
That’s a change. Previously, people who were fully vaccinated —
which the CDC has defined as having two doses of the Pfizer or
Moderna vaccines, or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine —
could be exempt from quarantine.
FIVE DAYS
Suspending both isolation and quarantine after five days is not
without risk.
A lot of people get tested when they first feel symptoms, but many
Americans get tested for others reasons, like to see if they can
visit family or for 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 get infected, the risk of spread drops substantially
after five days, but it does not disappear for everyone, said Dr.
Aaron Glatt, a New York physician who is a spokesman for the
Infectious Diseases Society of America.
“If you decrease it to five days, you’re still going to have a small
but significant number of people who are contagious,” he said.
That’s why wearing masks is a critical part of the CDC guidance,
Walensky said.
VARYING RECOMMENDATIONS
The new CDC guidance is not a mandate; it’s a recommendation to
employers and state and local officials. Last week, New York state
said it would expand on the CDC’s guidance for health care workers
to include employees who have other critical jobs that are facing a
severe staffing shortage.
It’s possible other states will seek to shorten their isolation and
quarantine policies, and CDC is trying to get out ahead of the
shift. “It would be helpful to have uniform CDC guidance” that
others could draw from, rather than a mishmash of policies, Walensky
said.
Given the timing with surging case counts, the update “is going to
be perceived as coming in response to pressure from business
interests,” Wiley said. But some experts have been calling for the
change for months, because shorter isolation and quarantine periods
appeared to be sufficient to slow the spread, she said.
The move by CDC follows a decision last week by U.K. officials to
reduce the self-isolation period for vaccinated people who test
positive for COVID-19.
___
The Associated Press Health & Science Department receives support
from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science
Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
https://www.woodtv.com/health/coronavirus/cdc-recommends-shorter-
covid-isolation-quarantine-for-all/
restrictions for Americans who catch the coronavirus from 10 to five
days, and similarly shortened the time that close contacts need to
quarantine.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials said the
guidance is in keeping with growing evidence that people with the
coronavirus are most infectious in the two days before and three
days after symptoms develop.
The decision also was driven by a recent surge in COVID-19 cases,
propelled by the omicron variant.
Early research suggests omicron may cause milder illnesses than
earlier versions of the coronavirus. But the sheer number of people
becoming infected — and therefore having to isolate or quarantine —
threatens to crush the ability of hospitals, airlines and other
businesses to stay open, experts say.
CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said the country is about to see a
lot of omicron cases.
“Not all of those cases are going to be severe. In fact many 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 safely
continue to keep society functioning while following the science.”
Last week, the agency loosened rules that previously called on
health care workers to stay out of work for 10 days if they test
positive. The new recommendations said workers could go back to work
after seven days if they test negative and don’t have symptoms. And
the agency said isolation time could be cut to five days, or even
fewer, if there are severe staffing shortages.
Now, the CDC is changing the isolation and quarantine guidance for
the general public to be even less stringent.
The change is aimed at people who are not experiencing symptoms.
People with symptoms during isolation, or who develop symptoms
during quarantine, are encouraged to stay home.
The CDC’s isolation and quarantine guidance has confused the public,
and the new recommendations are “happening at a time when more
people are testing positive for the first time and looking for
guidance,” said Lindsay Wiley, an American University public health
law expert.
Nevertheless, the guidance continues to be complex.
ISOLATION
The isolation rules are for people who are infected. They are the
same for people who are unvaccinated, partly vaccinated, fully
vaccinated or boosted.
They say:
—The clock starts the day you test positive.
—An infected person should go into isolation for five days, instead
of the previously recommended 10.
—At the end of five days, if you have no symptoms, you can return to
normal activities but must wear a mask everywhere — even at home
around others — for at least five more days.
—If you still have symptoms after isolating for five days, stay home
until you feel better and then start your five days of wearing a
mask at all times.
QUARANTINE
The quarantine rules are for people who were in close contact with
an infected person but not infected themselves.
For quarantine, the clock starts the day someone is alerted they may
have been exposed to the virus.
Previously, the CDC said people who were not fully vaccinated and
who came in close contact with an infected person should stay home
for at least 10 days.
Now the agency is saying only people who got booster shots can skip
quarantine if they wear masks in all settings for at least 10 days.
That’s a change. Previously, people who were fully vaccinated —
which the CDC has defined as having two doses of the Pfizer or
Moderna vaccines, or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine —
could be exempt from quarantine.
FIVE DAYS
Suspending both isolation and quarantine after five days is not
without risk.
A lot of people get tested when they first feel symptoms, but many
Americans get tested for others reasons, like to see if they can
visit family or for 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 get infected, the risk of spread drops substantially
after five days, but it does not disappear for everyone, said Dr.
Aaron Glatt, a New York physician who is a spokesman for the
Infectious Diseases Society of America.
“If you decrease it to five days, you’re still going to have a small
but significant number of people who are contagious,” he said.
That’s why wearing masks is a critical part of the CDC guidance,
Walensky said.
VARYING RECOMMENDATIONS
The new CDC guidance is not a mandate; it’s a recommendation to
employers and state and local officials. Last week, New York state
said it would expand on the CDC’s guidance for health care workers
to include employees who have other critical jobs that are facing a
severe staffing shortage.
It’s possible other states will seek to shorten their isolation and
quarantine policies, and CDC is trying to get out ahead of the
shift. “It would be helpful to have uniform CDC guidance” that
others could draw from, rather than a mishmash of policies, Walensky
said.
Given the timing with surging case counts, the update “is going to
be perceived as coming in response to pressure from business
interests,” Wiley said. But some experts have been calling for the
change for months, because shorter isolation and quarantine periods
appeared to be sufficient to slow the spread, she said.
The move by CDC follows a decision last week by U.K. officials to
reduce the self-isolation period for vaccinated people who test
positive for COVID-19.
___
The Associated Press Health & Science Department receives support
from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science
Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
https://www.woodtv.com/health/coronavirus/cdc-recommends-shorter-
covid-isolation-quarantine-for-all/
Just Wondering
Sep 11, 2023, 1:44:13 PM9/11/23
to
On 9/10/2023 11:14 PM, CHICOM Clap wrote:
> NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. health officials on Monday cut isolation
to self-isolate when you have any infectious disease.
> NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. health officials on Monday cut isolation
> restrictions for Americans who catch the coronavirus from 10 to five
> days, and similarly shortened the time that close contacts need to
> quarantine.
>
Screw "U.S. health officials", but it's just common sense voluntarily
> days, and similarly shortened the time that close contacts need to
> quarantine.
>
to self-isolate when you have any infectious disease.
0 new messages