CDC Shortens Covid Isolation Period

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials relaxed isolation restrictions for people who contract the coronavirus from ten to five days, and similarly shortened the time that close contacts need to quarantine as well.

The CDC said the guidance is in keeping with growing evidence that people with the coronavirus are most infectious in the two days before and three days after their symptoms develop. People who test positive should isolate for five days and then they may leave isolation if asymptomatic. They can continue to mask for five days to minimize the risk of infecting others.

Isolation relates to behavior after a confirmed infection. The CDC says isolation for five days followed by wearing a mask will minimize the risk of spreading the virus to others. 

Quarantine refers to the time following exposure to the virus or close contact with someone known to have COVID-19. Both updates come as the Omicron variant continues to spread throughout the U.S. and reflects the current science on when and for how long a person is maximally infectious.

Data from South Africa and the United Kingdom demonstrate that vaccine effectiveness against infection for two doses of an mRNA vaccine is approximately 35%. A COVID-19 vaccine booster dose restores vaccine effectiveness against infection to 75%.

KPGZ News - Brian Watts contributed to this story