CDC updates Covid isolation guidance for people who test positive | Wilnesh News

People who test positive for COVID-19 No need to quarantine for five days anymorethe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday.

this CDC’s new guidance Now consistent with public health recommendations for influenza and other respiratory illnesses: Stay home when sick, but return to school or work once you feel better and have been fever-free for 24 hours.

The shift reflects continued declines in the most severe consequences of COVID-19 since the pandemic began, as well as a recognition that many people are not testing themselves for COVID-19 anyway.

“People often don’t know what they have when they first get sick, so regardless, this will help them know what to do,” CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen said during a media briefing on Friday. “

Cohen said weekly hospitalizations for COVID-19 have dropped by more than 75% and deaths by more than 90% over the past few years.

“In other words, in 2021, COVID-19 is the third leading cause of death in the United States. Last year, it was 10th,” said Dr. Brendan Jackson, chief of the Respiratory Virus Response Branch at the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Medicine at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. explain. disease, the advisory said.

Many doctors are calling for The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reversing months of quarantine guidance, saying it has done little to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

experience California and OregonCOVID quarantine guidelines were previously lifted and this has proven to be true.

“Recent data shows that California and Oregon, whose quarantine guidance looks more like the CDC’s latest recommendations, are not seeing an increase in Covid-19 emergency room visits or hospitalizations,” Jackson said.

Dr. David Margolius, director of public health for the city of Cleveland, believes the recommendation to change coronavirus quarantine measures to accommodate influenza and other respiratory illnesses makes sense.

“We’ve reached a point where the incidence of influenza is higher than the incidence of COVID-19,” he said. “What this guidance does is help reinforce that – no matter which contagious respiratory virus infection you have – when you are sick Stay home and come back when you feel better.”

Dr. Christine Englander, an infectious disease specialist at the Cleveland Clinic, said the new guidance will help curb the spread of all respiratory viruses.

“I think that’s going to help us over the next few years to make sure that the number of influenza and respiratory syncytial virus cases goes down as well, not just COVID cases,” she said.

Still, the decision is likely to draw criticism from some clinicians, who point out that there were 17,310 COVID-19 hospitalizations in the United States in the past week alone.

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“This will likely lead to a wide range of opinions, possibly even conflicting opinions,” said Seattle Public Health Director Dr. Faisal Khan. “But (the CDC’s) rationale is sound because this pandemic is now We are in a very different stage than we are in 2021, 2022 or 2023.”

Although quarantine guidance has been lifted, the CDC still encourages people to stay safe for five days after they feel better. This includes wearing masks for vulnerable people and opening windows to improve the flow of fresh air indoors.

Most viral spread occurs when people are most sick. “As time goes on, the virus spreads less and less,” Cohen said.

People who are at higher risk for severe COVID-19 complications, such as older adults, people with weakened immune systems and pregnant women, may need to take extra precautions.

Dr. Katie Passaretti, chief epidemiologist at Atrium Health in Charlotte, said this is “a step in a positive direction.”

“We are continuing to understand the world after COVID-19, one of many respiratory viruses that are certain to spread,” she said.

The new guidance only applies to the general public and does not include guidance on isolation in hospital settings (usually 10 days).

On Wednesday, the agency said Adults 65 and older should get a booster shot COVID vaccines this spring. The number of cases in the country is expected to increase later this summer.

According to the World Health Organization, the past four years have seen winter and summer waves of COVID-19, with cases peaking in January and August respectively. Department of Disease Control.

Another reformulated vaccine is expected to be available and recommended this fall.

CDC’s top recommendations for reducing the spread of COVID-19:

• As soon as a COVID-19 vaccine is available, get it. Cohen said 95% of people hospitalized with COVID-19 last winter were not up to date on their vaccinations.
• Cover your coughs and sneezes and wash your hands frequently.
• Increase ventilation by opening windows, using air purifiers and gathering outdoors when possible.