Boston — Boston - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shortened the amount of time it recommends people should isolate after testing positive for COVID-19.
New guidance announced by the CDC on Monday recommended an isolation period of five days instead of ten for those who don’t have symptoms.
According to the CDC, the guidance falls in line with growing evidence that people with the coronavirus are most infectious in the two days before and three days after symptoms develop.
There’s also new federal guidance for close contacts of positive cases.
The CDC now recommends that those who are vaccinated and have had a booster shot can skip quarantining if they wear a face mask for at least 10 days.
If a person is partly vaccinated or not vaccinated, the CDC recommends a quarantine of five-days followed by wearing a mask in public for an additional five days
“The best time to test for this particular variant of the virus is generally around two of three days after you think you may have potentially had an exposure,” said Doctor Michael Mina, epidemiologist and Chief Science Officer at eMed.
Mina told Boston 25 News that those who start experiencing symptoms should still assume they’re COVID positive even if a rapid test initially comes back negative.
“Sometimes you will still be negative even though your symptoms are beginning, and that’s a feature of Omicron,” explained Mina. “If you only have one test, don’t use it that day. Use it 2 or 3 days after symptoms start.”
Mina said the updated CDC guidance on isolation time is welcome news and something he’s been advocating since May of 2020.
However, he believes it should be accompanied with a negative test which is not included in the guidance.
“Just saying across the board, leave isolation at 5 or 7 days is a bit reckless without a test to suggest that you are negative,” added Mina.
The CDC’s guidance is not a mandate.
It’s a recommendation to employers and state and local officials.
Last week, the CDC loosened rules that previously called on health care workers to stay out of work for 10 days if they test positive.
The new recommendations said health care workers could go back to work after seven days if they test negative and don’t have symptoms. And the agency said isolation time could be cut to five days, or even fewer, if there are severe staffing shortages.