[ad_1]
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may soon shorten their quarantine guidelines for those who believe they have been exposed to COVID-19, according to a report from the the Wall Street newspaper. The movement, which has been started in the past, is said to be aimed at motivating more people to quarantine.
Dr Henry Walke, director of the CDC’s preparedness and emerging infections division, told the the Wall Street newspaper that an increase in the availability and accuracy of testing is part of what drives change. “We think the work we’ve done, and some of the studies that we have and the modeling data that we have, show that we can, with testing, shorten quarantines,” Walke said.
According to the WSJ, the new recommendation – which is said to be in the final stages of approval – would suggest that people who have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 in quarantine for seven to 10 days and then get tested before seeing any other people. So how does this differ from the current guidelines and what do experts think about the possible change? Here’s what you need to know.
Current CDC guidelines call for 14-day quarantine
The new directive would be a significant departure from the CDC’s current quarantine recommendations, which state that “anyone who has had close contact with someone with COVID-19 should stay home for 14 days after their last exposure to it. no one.” The guide exempts those who have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past three months – as long as symptoms do not return.
The shorter quarantine period likely reflects the incubation period
Although the full incubation period for COVID-19 is technically between two and 14 days, the amended CDC guidelines would reflect a growing body of evidence showing that the median incubation period between exposure and onset of symptoms is five days. Yes, a positive test can occur after 10 days, but experts say it’s extremely rare, which is why the organization may consider shortening it.
“The majority of people who will test positive or become contagious or symptomatic with COVID-19 do so in the first few days after exposure,” says Dr. Amesh Adalja, principal investigator at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. “So it becomes more and more unlikely as you move into the quarantine period, and this evidence has accumulated over time.”
Dr. Saskia Popescu, epidemiologist and infection prevention specialist at George Mason University, confirms this. “We’re finding that the shorter incubation period is the most common and that’s what this new focus reflects,” she says.
Experts believe that the inclusion of a test recommendation is a good “benchmark”
The CDC’s current quarantine guidelines for people exposed to COVID-19 do not include getting tested, but the new guidelines may suggest doing so. Yahoo Life medical contributor Dr Dara Kass thinks it would be a great addition. “The idea is that if you associate a negative test with a reasonable incubation period, you should be able to tighten the period of time you need to be fully quarantined,” she says.
Kass believes this format motivates people to take it seriously. “The more we can define quarantine and isolation and the more we can give people real benchmarks that anchor them with data and move away from this symptomatic surveillance, the better we’ll be able to follow through on it.”
Most agree 14 days is a tough time
Dr William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University, says he and many others have been pushing for a change in quarantine recommendations – not only because of more available tests and longer incubation periods. short, but because it is more feasible. “Fourteen days is a very long time for anyone to quarantine,” Schaffner says. “Whether you’re a student, a teacher, it’s a long time and if we could cut that in half – or almost in half – that would be great.”
Kass agrees. “Since a lot of people aren’t quarantined at all after exposure … isn’t it better to have guidelines that 95-99% of people use, then ‘more perfect’ guidelines or longer than only 50% of people use? ” she asks. She hopes this will make it easier for those who are exposed and have to take time off work. “It has an end point. So you know for sure that an employee who has a negative test and in the end can safely return to work in a mask with good protocols. “
It’s those good protocols that Popescu wants to focus on – and hopes the CDC will too. “I think there has to be a lot of public communication with this change,” Popescu says. “And that even after quarantine, people still have to adhere to infection prevention measures such as masking and distancing.”
For the latest news and updates on the coronavirus, follow to https://news.yahoo.com/coronavirus. According to experts, people over 60 and people with compromised immune systems continue to be at greatest risk. If you have any questions, please consult the CDC‘the sand WHO resource guides.
Learn more about Yahoo Life
Want to get lifestyle and wellness news delivered to your inbox? register here for the Yahoo Life newsletter.
[ad_2]
Source link