CDC to reduce quarantine time; UPS increases dry ice



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The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) aims to reduce the quarantine requirements for someone potentially exposed to the virus from 14 days to 7 to 10 days.

The change of days, in addition to testing, continues as health officials attempt to achieve better compliance with a population increasingly tired of covid, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The decision is also guided by a better understanding of the incubation and transmissibility phases of the virus. Within five days of exposure, individuals typically show some symptoms, according to the CDC in October, but it can take up to 14 days.

But a recent CDC study, which has not yet been peer reviewed, suggested that seven days of isolation would be sufficient.

“A 14-day quarantine after arrival, without monitoring or testing for symptoms, can reduce the risk by 97-100% on its own. However, a shorter 7-day quarantine combined with monitoring for symptoms and testing 3-4 days after arrival is also effective (95-99%) in reducing the risk of introduction and is less burdensome. which can improve adherence, ”the researchers said.

An employee of German logistics equipment manufacturer Va-Q-tec obtains dry ice to fill a very low temperature container to transport the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination to the company's headquarters in Wuerzburg, Germany, November 18, 2020. REUTERS / Kai Pfaffenbach
An employee of German logistics equipment manufacturer Va-Q-tec obtains dry ice to fill a very low temperature container to transport the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination to the company’s headquarters in Wuerzburg, Germany, November 18, 2020. REUTERS / Kai Pfaffenbach

Dry ice request

Meanwhile, as states prepare to receive the first shipments of Pfizer (PFE) and BioNTech (BNTX) vaccines next month, logistics companies and cold storage and chemicals companies are in high demand.

UPS, which plays a key role in deliveries with FedEx, said in a statement Tuesday that it was preparing to produce 1,200 pounds of dry ice per hour at its facilities.

“UPS Healthcare can now produce up to 1,200 lbs. of dry ice per hour at its U.S. facilities to support the storage and transportation of cold chain products, such as frozen vaccines, in accordance with manufacturers’ storage requirements. The increased production also enables UPS to make dry ice available to US and Canadian hospitals, clinics and other health care points that require dry ice to store vaccines locally, ”the company said.

The company is also partnering with Ohio-based Stirling Ultracold to provide portable ultra-low temperature freezers in the Pfizer and Moderna (MRNA) line of vaccines.

“UPS will work with Stirling to offer the Stirling ULT25 and Undercounter SU105 to thermally protect critical vaccines requiring ultra-low temperatures ranging from -20 ° C to -80 ° C,” the company said.

The Swedish model

Earlier this year, Sweden’s lax strategy to tackle the spread of the coronavirus was hailed as exemplary by those who have advocated for herd immunity.

But the Nordic country changed its stance, with state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell saying herd immunity did not slow the impact of the virus, as colder weather helped facilitate an increase in the spread.

Dr Howard Forman, a public health policy expert and professor at Yale University, said it was a big and important change to watch as the country had previously been seen as a role model and touted by people like President Donald Trump’s coronavirus adviser Dr. Scott Atlas.

“Sweden has been used as some kind of false idol throughout this pandemic,” Forman told Yahoo Finance.

And while the United States and Sweden are moving in the wrong direction at roughly the same pace, it should be noted that Sweden has adopted strict measures, while the United States remains dependent on state and local governments for decide what to do.

“Right now, they look better than the United States because they convey their messages very well,” Forman said, noting that a majority of the country is in some variant of a lockdown, even if they don’t call it that.

One thing the United States has done well is push for more mask wearing – something the Swedes still haven’t widely embraced, Forman said.

Despite this, with the travel surge predicted for Thanksgiving, the United States is bracing for worsening trends in cases and hospitalizations.

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