Cdc Loosens Covid Isolation Guidance

The longstanding recommendation that people isolate for five days after testing positive for Covid-19 is no more.

On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that someone who has been fever free without medication for 24 hours and whose symptoms are improving may return to school or work. Those who return to their regular activities should wear a mask for five days, according to the guidance.

The guidance for Covid now aligns with RSV and the flu and comes amid a marked decrease in Covid-related hospitalizations and deaths, and as many people tell officials they don’t bother to test when ill.

“We do think that having simple guidance that's more actionable, and that is using interventions that we know work, will mean that more people will actually follow that guidance,” Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, director of the CDC National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, told reporters in a call Friday.

The new rules do not change the stricter guidance for health care settings — like nursing homes.

The guidance comes shortly after CDC Director Mandy Cohen pushed back on a Washington Post report that said the change would be coming this spring. In a meeting with her advisers last month, Cohen expressed frustration with the report coming out before the CDC was ready to make its announcement.

Federal health officials told reporters on a call Friday that there’s been a decrease in Covid hospitalizations and deaths this year compared with prior respiratory illness seasons, which typically run through the winter months.

"Weekly hospital admission for Covid have decreased by more than 75 percent and deaths have decreased by more than 90 percent compared to January 2020,” Cohen said, comparing to a time before vaccines were widely available. She added that 95 percent of people hospitalized for Covid this season had not received an updated Covid vaccine.

Brendan Jackson, lead of respiratory virus response at NCIRD, told reporters that states and countries that have changed their Covid guidance to a similar unified structure did not see increases in community transmission or hospitalizations.

He also pointed to CDC data that showed half of people surveyed said they’d get tested to determine what illness they have if they felt sick.

Officials also tried to rebut concerns that the new guidance could harm older adults and immunocompromised people, who face higher risks of severe illness.

“Those who are immunocompromised, older adults, those in the disability community, they were top of mind as we were putting together this guidance,” Cohen said. “[T]here are special considerations for those groups … to help them protect themselves and additional steps that we can take.”

According to the guidance, people who are at higher risk for severe illness should be up to date on their vaccinations and immediately seek treatment, such as an antiviral.

“Vaccines substantially reduce the risk of hospitalization, and many people at higher risk of severe disease are missing this layer of protection,” the guidance says.

As of Feb. 17, 22 percent of adults, including 42 percent of adults 65 and older, have received an updated Covid shot, which is estimated to be 50 percent effective against severe disease requiring hospitalization.