The last time the CDC changed its COVID-19 isolation recommendations was in 2021, when it reduced the isolation time for infected people from 10 days to five days. (Getty Images)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has dropped its isolation guidelines for people with COVID-19 infections, the agency confirmed Friday following speculation about proposed changes first reported by the Washington Post. Under the new guidelines, people would no longer be expected to isolate themselves for five days. Instead, they would be allowed to return to their normal schedules once they’ve been free of fever for at least 24 hours without taking medication. This is similar to recommendations for other respiratory viruses such as influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Here’s more about the change — and what it means.
???? Why is the CDC changing its COVID isolation guidelines?
There are three key reasons behind the change from five days of isolation to 24 hours after being fever-free without medication. First, the current dominant variant nationwide, JN.1, which is responsible for more than 90% of cases, doesn’t appear to be causing more severe illnesses than previous strains.
Second, at the population level, there appears to be an increase in hybrid immunity to COVID-19 because of higher vaccination rates and more exposure to the coronavirus. A CDC study found that immunity has gone up in the general population due to vaccinations and past infection, but it’s important to note that the level of immunity was lowest in older adults compared to other age groups.
“Four years since its emergence, COVID continues to spread through our communities and periodically mutate, leading to spikes in cases,” Dr. Greg Schrank, an epidemiologist at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore, tells Yahoo Life. “What has changed since the start of the pandemic is that the risk posed by COVID-19 infection is now much lower for most people.” He adds: “Despite an estimated large increase in COVID-19 disease across the U.S. starting last fall, the peak number of hospitalizations was lower than the previous two winter seasons.”
Third, there are concerns that many people weren’t following the isolation recommendations to begin with. “Currently, most people are not testing and isolating in the same manner as when the current isolation guidance was issued in 2021,” says Schrank. More recently, some states — namely, Oregon and California — had already broken away from the guidelines without appearing to have higher infections, deaths or hospitalization rates.
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???? When was the last time the CDC revised its isolation guidelines?
The last time the agency changed its COVID-19 isolation recommendations was in 2021, when it reduced the isolation time for infected people from 10 days to five days. At the time, the CDC stated the change was motivated by scientific research, which showed that most of the virus’s transmission happened early in the course of illness, usually in the first two days before having symptoms and during the two to three days after symptoms show up. But there were also concerns that longer isolation times would cripple the economy by keeping people out of work.
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????️ Why it matters
The changes to the CDC’s isolation recommendations matter because they would influence public behavior and could increase infection risks, especially for more vulnerable groups. Although two states have dropped the five-day isolation guidelines and it appears those guidelines aren’t being followed by everyone, there are still concerns about abandoning the recommendations altogether.
As reports of the new CDC guidelines first spread in February, many health experts expressed unhappiness with the change because it could mislead members of the public into thinking they don’t need to worry about COVID-19 anymore. Under the revised guidelines, more vulnerable people such as older adults and those who are immunocompromised may face increased risk as many more people go about their daily routines while still infectious. (This week the CDC issued recommendations that older Americans get another COVID shot this spring.)
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????️ The big picture
With the COVID-19 pandemic nearing its fifth year, the changes to the isolation guidelines are an attempt to manage a public health issue that is no longer considered an emergency. That said, experts are quick to point out that COVID continues to be a health concern, particularly for vulnerable populations.
“The COVID-19 virus can infect anyone, even after a previous illness or vaccination,” Dr. Tammy Lundstrom, chief medical officer at Trinity Health, tells Yahoo Life. “Because various strains are circulating at different times, it is possible to have multiple episodes of COVID illness.”
An infection, even a mild one, carries the risk of long COVID (also called “post-COVID conditions”), which affects about 7% of American adults. Over 8 million Americans are living with this condition, with symptoms such as fatigue, breathing problems and brain fog.
COVID-19 is also responsible for over 1.1 million deaths and 6.8 million hospitalizations over the past four years — and the numbers are rising, with over 20,000 hospitalizations and 1,500 deaths each week. Clearly, the pandemic isn’t over, and experts say it’s unwise to pretend that it is, noting that it’s still important to take steps to control COVID, just as people should for every other serious infectious disease.
Schrank has the same advice for the public that he has shared since 2020, when the pandemic started: “Get vaccinated. If you are sick, stay home as best as possible until you feel well and any fever resolves. If you must be around others, wear a well-fitting mask to protect those around you while you still may be contagious. Staying up-to-date with vaccination is most important for vulnerable people just as it is for other infectious diseases,” he says.
Nsisong Asanga is a writer, public health physician and field epidemiologist.
This article was first published on Feb. 20, 2024, and has been updated.
HALIFAX – The Nova Scotia government says it could be months before it reveals how many people are on the wait-list for a family doctor.
The head of the province’s health authority told reporters Wednesday that the government won’t release updated data until the 160,000 people who were on the wait-list in June are contacted to verify whether they still need primary care.
Karen Oldfield said Nova Scotia Health is working on validating the primary care wait-list data before posting new numbers, and that work may take a matter of months. The most recent public wait-list figures are from June 1, when 160,234 people, or about 16 per cent of the population, were on it.
“It’s going to take time to make 160,000 calls,” Oldfield said. “We are not talking weeks, we are talking months.”
The interim CEO and president of Nova Scotia Health said people on the list are being asked where they live, whether they still need a family doctor, and to give an update on their health.
A spokesperson with the province’s Health Department says the government and its health authority are “working hard” to turn the wait-list registry into a useful tool, adding that the data will be shared once it is validated.
Nova Scotia’s NDP are calling on Premier Tim Houston to immediately release statistics on how many people are looking for a family doctor. On Tuesday, the NDP introduced a bill that would require the health minister to make the number public every month.
“It is unacceptable for the list to be more than three months out of date,” NDP Leader Claudia Chender said Tuesday.
Chender said releasing this data regularly is vital so Nova Scotians can track the government’s progress on its main 2021 campaign promise: fixing health care.
The number of people in need of a family doctor has more than doubled between the 2021 summer election campaign and June 2024. Since September 2021 about 300 doctors have been added to the provincial health system, the Health Department said.
“We’ll know if Tim Houston is keeping his 2021 election promise to fix health care when Nova Scotians are attached to primary care,” Chender said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Newfoundland and Labrador‘s chief medical officer is monitoring the rise of whooping cough infections across the province as cases of the highly contagious disease continue to grow across Canada.
Dr. Janice Fitzgerald says that so far this year, the province has recorded 230 confirmed cases of the vaccine-preventable respiratory tract infection, also known as pertussis.
Late last month, Quebec reported more than 11,000 cases during the same time period, while Ontario counted 470 cases, well above the five-year average of 98. In Quebec, the majority of patients are between the ages of 10 and 14.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick has declared a whooping cough outbreak across the province. A total of 141 cases were reported by last month, exceeding the five-year average of 34.
The disease can lead to severe complications among vulnerable populations including infants, who are at the highest risk of suffering from complications like pneumonia and seizures. Symptoms may start with a runny nose, mild fever and cough, then progress to severe coughing accompanied by a distinctive “whooping” sound during inhalation.
“The public, especially pregnant people and those in close contact with infants, are encouraged to be aware of symptoms related to pertussis and to ensure vaccinations are up to date,” Newfoundland and Labrador’s Health Department said in a statement.
Whooping cough can be treated with antibiotics, but vaccination is the most effective way to control the spread of the disease. As a result, the province has expanded immunization efforts this school year. While booster doses are already offered in Grade 9, the vaccine is now being offered to Grade 8 students as well.
Public health officials say whooping cough is a cyclical disease that increases every two to five or six years.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick’s acting chief medical officer of health expects the current case count to get worse before tapering off.
A rise in whooping cough cases has also been reported in the United States and elsewhere. The Pan American Health Organization issued an alert in July encouraging countries to ramp up their surveillance and vaccination coverage.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 10, 2024.
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