CDC issued a New Guideline after receiving Criticism over Isolation and Quarantine Recommendation

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On Tuesday, the CDC again updated its guideline about isolation and refused to add a clear testing recommendation. The agency said that people can take a test if they have access and need to. Moreover, the new CDC guidelines came as millions of Americans wait in hours-long lines to get tested during a record-breaking increase in coronavirus cases. Last week, the agency revealed its isolation and quarantine time recommendation. CDC said a person infected with Covid-19 can leave isolation after 5 days if he is symptomless, followed by 5 days of wearing a mask. However, medical experts have pushed back those recommendations. They said it may result in people leaving isolation while they’re still infectious.

Last week, former Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams informed a news outlet that the best science still points back to the fact that we should be testing our way out of isolation with antigen tests. But we know the US federal government hasn’t been able to provide those antigen tests. Moreover, Dr. Anthony Fauci commented on Sunday after receiving some criticism that a testing recommendation may be added. He said there has been some real concern that why we don’t ask people to get a 5-day testing period. Looking at it again, there may be an option in that and testing might be a part of that. Fauci said that he thinks the federal agency is going to hear more about that in the next day or so from the CDC.

Point to be noted that the CDC refused to add a testing recommendation in the new guideline. The agency said in its new guideline that people can take a test if they can find one. The best approach is to use an antigen test towards the end of the 5-day isolation period if an individual has access to a test and wants to test. The agency also said tests are best used early in the course of illness to diagnose Covid-19 and aren’t authorized to evaluate the duration of infectiousness. Data, including a review of 113 studies from 17 countries, show that most SARS-CoV-2 transmission happens early in the course of infection. So, individuals 18 and older who are not boosted should still quarantine for 5-days if they are exposed to someone.