In the U.S. Coronavirus cases this week reached a record high of 2 million cases. According to data analysis form Johns Hopkins, there have bee 2.49 million COVID-19 cases within the past week outpacing the previous record of 1.7 million cases from Jan. 3-9, 2021.
The safety of New isolation guidance released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this week is being questioned by American citizens and health officials alike.
On Monday the CDC released guidance that shortens the isolation period for those who test positive for the Coronavirus from 10 to 5 days, if the person is asymptomatic. The CDC has been sharply criticized for not making a distinction between the amount of quarantine time that is necessary for vaccinated versus unvaccinated people. Vaccinated people who get the virus have some degree of added protection that enables a buildup of life-saving antibodies. Unvaccinated people do not have that same layer of protection. The timing of the change is also being scrutinized as an avalanche of new Coronavirus cases and rise in the highly transmissible Omicron variant has some wondering if the government is placing its goal of economic recovery over people's health.
MICHIGAN IS NOT HEEDING THE CDC's ADVISE IMMEDIATELY
The state of Michigan, where cases are staggering again, says they will not implement the CDCs latest advice and will stick to previous guidelines pending further investigation. In a statement on Wednesday
"The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) intends to review the supporting evidence behind this guidance, while awaiting additional information from the CDC, specifically for special populations and in high-risk settings," the statement said.
WHY THE CDC CHANGED ITS ISOLATION GUIDELINES
The CDC's decision to reduce the isolation period was “motivated by science” that shows the majority of Coronavirus transmissions usually occur early in an infection -- one to two days before symptoms start and two to three days after. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky warned that the surge in Omicron cases would come. The Omicron variant is less dangerous, but spreads more she explained to the Associated Press on Monday: “Not all of those cases are going to be severe. In fact, many are going to be asymptomatic.” This means more people are likely going to get infected, but the CDC wanted to avoid a digression in the workforce. “We want to make sure there is a mechanism by which we can safely continue to keep society functioning while following the science,” continued Walensky.
The agency also factored in the Despite the raging strength of the Omicron variant, President Biden said he doesn’t want to go back to March of 2020 when then President Donald Trump shut down the country when the Coronavirus first struck the U.S. Biden pointed out the country ins in a better position to address the pandemic today, noting that millions of Americans are vaccinated and boosted including Pres. Trump.
On CNN’s “New Day Walensky went on to say that the health agency took into consideration what length of time people would “tolerate.”
“Some science has demonstrated less than a third of people are isolating when they need to,” Walensky said. “And so we really want to make sure that we had guidance in this moment — when we were going to have a lot of disease — that could be adhered to, that people were willing to adhere to and that spoke specifically to when people were maximally infectious.”
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ISOLATION AND QUARANTINE
Another point of confusion about the new guidance is the difference between isolation and quarantining. Dr. Walensky explained the distinction to reporters in the final COVID brieifn gof the year on Thursday:
"Let me walk you through exactly what these new recommendations mean for you:
First, isolation refers to what you should do when you have COVID-19, most likely diagnosed by a positive test. Isolation prevents those who are known to be infected from transmitting the virus to others.
Quarantine, on the other hand, is different. This is what you do when you have to be -- when you’ve been exposed to someone who has disease and are unsure if you, yourself, were infected.
Quarantine prevents further spread of the virus in the time before someone may develop symptoms or from those who are asymptomatic from their infection.
If you are infected with SARS-CoV-2, regardless of your vaccination status, you should isolate for five days.
During periods of isolation, it’s best for you to wear a mask around those in your household to avoid spreading the virus at home.
After five days, if you’re asymptomatic or if your symptoms have largely resolved, you may leave isolation, as long as you continue to wear a mask around others, even in the home, for an additional five days.
For those who have been exposed to COVID-19, quarantine recommendations are based on your vaccination status.
If you are boosted or have been vaccinated with your Pfizer or Moderna series in the past six months or your J&J shot in the past two months, no quarantine is needed. However, a mask must be worn for 10 days following your known exposure, and we also recommend getting a test on day five after your exposure.
If you’re not vaccinated or you were vaccinated with your Pfizer or Moderna series over six months ago or with J&J over two months ago and have not yet received your booster, you should quarantine for five days following your last exposure. After five days, you should continue masking around others for an additional five days and you should also get a test at day five.
If it’s not possible for you to quarantine, it is really important that you do the right thing and wear a mask at all times around others for 10 days after your exposure. Here, we also emphasize that you should get a test at day five.
And if at any point you develop symptoms of COVID-19 during your quarantine period, or your 10 days after exposure, like fevers, runny nose, a cough, headaches, or body aches, you should get a test and isolate until your test results return. And, of course, then isolate if your test returns positive.
Now, with these updates to our isolation and quarantine recommendations, I want to emphasize the critical importance of masking, which we know decreases the risk of transmission, as well as the importance of staying home when you’re sick. If you are sick or have symptoms, it is best for you to stay home and to stay away from others."
In Baton Rouge Louisiana where hospitalizations tripled over a two week period, health experts say the cases are more severe in the unvaccinated showing a distinction must be drawn in how to mitigate vaccinated versus unvaccinated cases."
The shift on isolation protocol is upsetting to nurses in Boston who say shorte isolation periods leave us all more vulnerable to the spread.
While Michigan's' stance is unique to most state health departments, over the tree year pandemic most state healthcare officials have complied with the CDC and respected the science. But, by law states do retain control over the guidance released in their areas.
Many others in the healthcare community say a negative test result -- not completion of isolation or being asymptomatic-- should determine when people re-engage in society after being infected, like when to return to work or school.
PROTECT YOURSELF BY GETTING TESTED
The White House COVID Response Team led a massive national roll out of tests that do not have to be sent off to a lab and free at home test kit give-aways around the country. Jeff Zients, Coronavirus Response Team coordinator said they have worked with Google and a search on the words "RAPID RESULTS TESTS NEAR ME" should get you results for where to pick up a test or get tested.
For further information on the new guidance visit the CDC at www.cdc.gov. Be sure to return to The Slice News for weekly Coronavirus updates.
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