No Testing Added As CDC Tries To Clarify Shorter Isolation Guidelines
There had been signals that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would layer in a negative test to its recommendations for when someone with covid can stop isolating. The agency stopped short of making that change and instead laid out the science behind its guidance of 5 days of isolation followed by 5 days of masking — for all, including kids.
Politico:
CDC Recommits To Isolation And Quarantine Guidelines Without Tests
After days of criticism over new isolation and quarantine guidelines, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday doubled down on its policy, pointing to data that it says supports its guidance that Americans who contract Covid-19 or have not been boosted and are exposed to the virus can return to normal life after five days if they wear a mask. (Banco, 1/4)
CBS News:
CDC Stops Short Of Requiring Test For Ending COVID Isolation, But Says They're The "Best Approach"
"If an individual has access to a test and wants to test, the best approach is to use an antigen test towards the end of the 5-day isolation period. Collect the test sample only if you are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication and your other symptoms have improved," the CDC said. (Tin, 1/4)
AP:
CDC Posts Rationale For Shorter Isolation, Quarantine
In laying out the scientific basis for the revisions, the agency said more than 100 studies from 17 countries indicate that most transmission happens early in an infection. The CDC acknowledged the data come from research done when delta and other pre-omicron variants were causing the most infections. But the agency also pointed to limited, early data from the U.S. and South Korea that suggests the time between exposure and the appearance of symptoms may be shorter for omicron than for earlier variants. (Stobbe, 1/4)
Also —
NBC News:
Health Care Workers Concerned By Shorter Isolation After Covid Infections
Melody Butler, a registered nurse in New York, woke up the day after Christmas with a headache, chest tightness and a feeling of malaise — an at-home rapid test confirmed she was Covid-positive. Eight days later, she returned to work at the hospital, still a bit fatigued and prepared to wear full protective gear to prevent any potential spread. As the highly transmissible omicron variant took hold and spread throughout the holidays, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week revised its isolation recommendations, reducing the isolation time for asymptomatic health care workers from 10 days to seven with a negative test — or fewer days “if there are staffing shortages.” (Lee, 1/4)
Detroit Free Press:
Nearly 700 Employees Test Positive For COVID-19 At Henry Ford Health
Nearly 700 Henry Ford Health System employees have tested positive for the coronavirus in the last seven days, the system's chief clinical officer said Tuesday. That's about 2% of approximately 33,000 employees in the health system that became the first in Michigan to announce last summer that it would mandate COVID-19 vaccines for its workers. The news comes as COVID-19 cases surge in Michigan and across the country, the highly transmissible omicron variant becomes more dominant, and short-staffed hospitals and testing locations continue to be overrun. (Hall, 1/4)
