The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that the quarantine period for Americans who test positive for Covid-19 be shortened from 10 days to 5 days. The same is true for their close contacts.

“The CDC has shortened the recommended time for #COVID19 quarantine and quarantine,” said a Twitter post on its official website. According to CDC regulations, people who test positive should stay home for the first five days. From day 6 to day 10, if there are no symptoms or symptoms are relieving, you can wear a mask and go out. “If you have a fever, stay at home until your fever subsides,” it said.

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According to the National Public Health Agency of the United States, this is consistent with “increasing evidence that people infected with coronavirus are most contagious in the first two days and three days after symptoms”.

“The motivation for this change is scientific evidence that most SARS-CoV-2 transmission occurs early in the course of the disease, usually 1-2 days before the onset of symptoms and 2-3 days after the onset of symptoms. Therefore, people who test positive should Isolate for five days. If there are no symptoms at the time, you can continue to wear a mask for five days to minimize the risk of infecting others,” it said on its official website. *For people who have not been vaccinated or have been more than 6 months after the second mRNA vaccination (or more than 2 months after Johnson & Johnson vaccination) and have not been boosted, the CDC now recommends isolation for 5 days and then strictly wearing a mask for 5 days.

*Individuals receiving the booster injection do not need to be isolated after contact, but should wear a mask for 10 days after contact. For all exposed persons, best practice also includes testing for SARS-CoV-2 on the 5th day after exposure. If symptoms develop, individuals should immediately isolate themselves until a negative test confirms that the symptoms are not attributable to Covid-19.

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According to CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, after the Omicron variant spreads rapidly and has the potential to affect all aspects of society, the updated recommendations “ensure that people can safely continue their daily lives.” “The latest CDC quarantine and quarantine recommendations balance our understanding of the spread of the virus and the protection provided by vaccination and booster doses. These updates ensure that people can safely continue their daily lives. Prevention is our best option: vaccination, Strengthen immunization, wear masks in public indoor environments where community transmission is severe and high, and test before gathering,” Dr. Varensky pointed out.

Meanwhile, in India, the current isolation period for Covid-19 and/or Omicron patients is 14 days. To date, India has reported more than 781 cases of Omicron Covid-19 variant.

Complete News Source : The Indian EXPRESS