WASHINGTON – U.S. health officials on Monday slashed isolation restrictions for Americans who contract the coronavirus asymptomatically from 10 to five days, and similarly shortened the time it takes for close contacts to self-quarantine.
Officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said the guidance is in line with growing evidence that people with COVID-19 are most infectious two days earlier and three days earlier. days after symptoms develop.
The decision was also motivated by a recent spike in cases of the coronavirus, driven by the Omicron variant.
Early research suggests that Omicron may cause milder symptoms than previous COVID-19 variants. But the sheer numbers of people who become infected and thus have to isolate themselves or quarantine threaten to crush the ability of hospitals, airlines and other companies to stay open, experts say.
CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said the country is about to see an increase in Omicron cases.
“Not all of these cases are going to be serious. In fact, many will be asymptomatic, “he told The Associated Press on Monday. “We want to make sure that there is a mechanism by which we can continue to keep society functioning safely while following the science,” he said.
ISOLATION
The isolation rules are for infected people. They are the same for unvaccinated, partially vaccinated, fully vaccinated, or booster doses.
According to directions, the clock starts ticking the day they test positive, and an infected person must undergo isolation for five days, instead of the previously recommended 10 days.
After five days, if you have no symptoms, you can return to normal activities, but you should wear a mask everywhere, even at home with other people, for at least five more days.
If symptoms are still experienced after five days of isolation, the person should stay home until they feel better, and then begin wearing a mask for an additional five days at all times.
QUARANTINE
The quarantine rules are for people who were in close contact with an infected person but did not contract the virus.
For quarantine, the clock starts ticking on the day someone is alerted who may have been exposed to the virus.
Previously, the CDC said that people who were not fully vaccinated and who were in close contact with an infected person should stay home for at least 10 days.
Now, the agency says that only people who received booster shots can skip quarantine by wearing masks in all settings for at least 10 days.
This represents a change, since 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 Johnson & Johnson’s, could be exempt from quarantine.
Now, people who received their initial vaccines, but not boosters, are in the same situation as those who are partially vaccinated or who are not vaccinated at all: they can stop the quarantine after five days if they wear masks at all environments for an additional five days.
Earlier in the day, the top epidemiologist for the United States government, Anthony Fauci, said that some of the measures against the pandemic were being reconsidered, such as the isolation time of those who have been infected or whether travelers must show proof of vaccination on domestic flights.
In an interview with the cadena MSNBC, Fauci said he believes that the requirement to check COVID-19 vaccination status on flights within the country “should be seriously considered.”
Although he did not want to say what Biden’s position is on the matter, Fauci said that this mandate could incentivize those who have not yet been vaccinated.
“The group we are very concerned about are the unvaccinated because although this virus is less serious, the volume of the number of cases that we are going to have could actually put a burden on the hospital system,” said Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).
So far, the United States only requires proof of vaccination from travelers on international flights who are neither citizens nor permanent residents, although all must prove that they have tested negative for coronavirus.
On domestic flights, there is no requirement to travel.
Fauci said that Joe Biden’s government was “seriously” evaluating reducing the isolation time that those who have been exposed to the virus must comply with, even if they do not present symptoms.
Last Thursday the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, in English) established an exception for health personnel, who must be quarantined for five days.
There are already cases of the Omicron variant in every state in the country.
“There are so many people who are becoming infected, including infections in people who are vaccinated, that we are studying the possibility of reducing the isolation time,” he said.
In recent days, hundreds of flights have been canceled in the United States due to the increase in the number of infections among crews, so the CEOs of large airlines, such as Delta, United and American, have asked the CDC to reduce to five days of isolation.
USA HAS A LOW VACCINATION RATE
The United States has a low vaccination rate compared to other countries such as Portugal (88%), Chile (87%) or Spain (90%) and that despite the fact that vaccines are available for all age groups in pharmacies, centers health and hospitals.
Specifically, 61% of the US population is fully vaccinated, while 39% still resists getting it, according to the latest data from the CDC.
The CDC noted that newer Delta infections were behind Ómicron.
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