Using the rapid COVID 19 self-test at home.
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People who test positive for Covid no longer need to isolate for five days, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday.
The new CDC guidance now matches public health advice for the flu and other respiratory illnesses: Stay home when you are sick, but return to school or work once you feel better and have been fever-free for 24 hours.
The change reflects sustained declines in the most severe Covid outcomes since the start of the pandemic, as well as a recognition that many people do not get tested for Covid anyway.
“People often don't know what virus they have when they first get sick, so this will help them know what to do, regardless,” CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen said during a news conference on Friday.
In recent years, weekly Covid hospital admissions have decreased by more than 75% and deaths have decreased by more than 90%, Cohen said.
“To put it another way, in 2021, Covid was the third leading cause of death in the United States. Last year, it was the 10th,” said Dr. Brendan Jackson, chief of respiratory virus response at the National Center for CDC Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. Diseases, he said during the briefing.
Many doctors have been urging the CDC to lift isolation guidance for months, saying it did little to stop the spread of Covid.
The experiences of California and Oregon, which previously lifted their Covid isolation guidelines, showed that to be true.
“Recent data indicates that California and Oregon, where isolation guidelines most closely resemble updated CDC recommendations, are not experiencing increased emergency department visits or hospitalizations for Covid-19,” Jackson said.
Changing Covid isolation to reflect what is recommended for the flu and other respiratory illnesses makes sense to Dr. David Margolius, public health director for the city of Cleveland.
“We've gotten to the point where we're suffering from flu at a higher rate than Covid,” he said. “What this guidance will do is help reinforce that regardless of what contagious respiratory viral infection you have, stay home when you are sick and come back when you are better.”
Dr. Kristin Englund, an infectious disease expert at the Cleveland Clinic, said the new guidance would be beneficial in slowing the spread of all respiratory viruses.
“I think this will help us in the coming years to ensure that our number of flu and RSV cases can also be reduced, not just Covid,” he said.
Still, the decision is likely to draw criticism from some doctors who point to the fact that the United States recorded 17,310 new Covid hospitalizations last week alone.
A general view of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia.
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“It's something that will likely generate a wide range of opinions and perhaps even conflicting opinions,” said Dr. Faisal Khan, Seattle's public health director. “But [the CDC’s] The reasoning is sound because the pandemic is now in a very different phase than in 2021, 2022 or 2023.”
Although isolation guidelines have been lifted, the CDC still encourages people to play it safe for five days after feeling better. That includes masking vulnerable people and opening windows to improve fresh air flow indoors.
Most viral spread occurs when people are sickest. “As the days go by, less virus spreads,” Cohen said.
People at higher risk of severe Covid complications, such as the elderly, people with weak immune systems and pregnant women, may need to take extra precautions.
Dr. Katie Passaretti, chief epidemiologist at Atrium Health in Charlotte, said it was a “step in the positive direction.”
“We continue to get closer to what the world will be like after Covid, with Covid being one of the many respiratory viruses that are surely circulating,” he said.
The new guidance is for the general public only and does not include isolation guidelines in hospital settings, which are generally 10 days.
On Wednesday, the agency said adults 65 and older should receive a booster dose of the Covid vaccine this spring. The nation is anticipated to experience a resurgence of the disease later this summer.
Over the past four years, waves of Covid have emerged in winter and summer, with peak cases in January and August, respectively, according to the CDC.
Another reformulated vaccine is expected to be available and recommended this fall.
Top CDC tips to reduce the spread of Covid:
- Receive the Covid vaccine whenever it is available. Cohen said 95% of people who were hospitalized with Covid last winter had not received the latest vaccine.
- Cover coughs and sneezes and wash your hands frequently.
- Increase ventilation by opening windows, using air purifiers, and gathering outside when possible.
