The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to make changes to its COVID-19 isolation guidelines for the first time since 2021.
In the planned guidance, the agency will relax its recommendations for isolating after being diagnosed with COVID, advising that individuals who test positive no longer need to stay home if they’ve been afebrile for 24 hours without medication, and as long as symptoms are improving.
CDC officials acknowledged in internal discussions and in a briefing last week with state health officials how much the covid-19 landscape has changed since the virus emerged four years ago, killing nearly 1.2 million people in the United States and shuttering businesses and schools. The new reality — with most people having developed a level of immunity to the virus because of prior infection or vaccination — warrants a shift to a more practical approach, experts and health officials say.
“Public health has to be realistic,” said Michael T. Osterholm, an infectious-disease expert at the University of Minnesota. “In making recommendations to the public today, we have to try to get the most out of what people are willing to do. … You can be absolutely right in the science and yet accomplish nothing because no one will listen to you.” [...]
The White House has yet to sign off on the guidance that the agency is expected to release in April for public feedback, officials said. One agency official said the timing could “move around a bit” until the guidance is finalized. (The Washington Post)
While the new guidelines would not apply in certain situations, such as in hospitals with vulnerable populations, the recommendation is seen as a more practical approach and in line with those related to the flu and RSV.
The last change the agency made to its COVID isolation guidelines came in December 2021, which brought the quarantine period down from 10 days to five. But in this post-pandemic phase, most individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 were ignoring even that recommendation.
A CDC spokesperson would not confirm the report, telling NPR there are "no updates to COVID guidelines to announce at this time. We will continue to make decisions based on the best evidence and science to keep communities healthy and safe."
The expected change will come after California and Oregon already made similar moves.