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New Covid-19 Isolation & Quarantine Guidelines Leave Confusion
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- Written by Stacey Rowan Woensdregt, Journalist, Former Writer
New guidelines on isolation and quarantine released by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on 27 Dec 2021 have left State and health officials confused. In the same light, it has also left the CDC open to accusations of making decisions based on pressure lobbying and politics.
According to a recent article published on CNN, State and US health officials are left pondering whether or not the decision to reduce isolation periods was based on pressure lobbying or politics.
New Guidelines For Isolation For Those Who Test Positive
The updated advice reduces the recommendation times of isolation by half, with State and health officials concerned about the minimal consultation or preparation needed for this.
According to the guidelines, individuals who test positive for Covid-19 are permitted to leave isolation only after five days. This, if symptoms are ‘resolved’ or improve and if individuals were a mask over the following five days.
New Guidelines For Quarantine For Those Who Have Received The Booster Shot
For individuals who have received the booster shot, CDC’s updated advice does not require them to quarantine, but rather, questionably, allows them to continue their daily lives as normal. This, if a mask is worn for 10 days.
Individuals who have not received the vaccine, but have received the booster, are permitted to leave quarantine after five days.
Radical Changes Should Be Run Through Experts First But This Is Not The Case
Causing concern among State and health officials, these radical changes have not received input from experts. The National Association of County and City Health Officials were left out of the decision, along with other necessary experts.
With a lack of explanation provided to the public through expert input and media outlets, US citizens are left wanting to know more with regard to the decision-making process and application thereof.
Adding to this, State and local health officials who stand at the front of communication are not only caught off guard but now lack preparation to communicate efficiently to the public in times of confusion. Unable to communicate to the public efficiently, questions are left unanswered by many parties.
The application of the new advice is unclear within the settings of schools, nursing homes, congregate settings, and prisons. These answers and a full understanding of the varying applications would normally be answers if experts were briefed first and allowed the opportunity to enquire requiring confusing elements.
New Threat Arises Despite CDC’s Assumptions Of Low Transmission & Lack Of Data
Along with confusion, another risk that has emerged with CDC’s new advice is the likelihood of infected individuals at work spreading the virus to others and healthcare professionals exposing the virus to patients.
According to the news article, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky and Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, expressed that it is unlikely that infected individuals will transmit infection five days after symptom onset.
However, according to scientific data previously published online as well as UpToDate, upper respiratory viral RNA levels are higher at diagnosis and remain at this level for longer with the Delta variant. This may suggest transmission of infection long after the 10 days of isolation.
The World Health Organization also stated that the incubation period of Covid-19 is about five to six days and can last up to 14 days. No matter the variant, the nature of Covid-19 and its ability to infect individuals for up to 14 days shows CDC’s new guidelines as risky.
With a lack of scientific data, the public, State, and Health officials as well as experts can easily assume that decisions are made from a political background or with a lack of scientific rationale. Now, with the CDC already under the skeptical spotlight, this new advice opens the doors to further accusations and suspicion.
However, accusations and skeptical responses have been met with answers that new guidelines have been made according to current situations and are conducive to reality.
While Guidelines Are Attacked, It Is Recommended To Follow Science-Dictated Guidelines And Keep Isolation And Quarantine To 10 Days
While these new guidelines lack simplicity in compliance, US citizens are advised to follow science-based data, sufficient isolation and quarantine, and testing. Individuals should exit isolation based on ‘solved’ symptoms without testing and receiving a negative test.
However, now that quarantine periods are shortened, individuals must continue symptom monitoring and maintain strict adherence to all prevention efforts.
