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(Bloomberg) — Testing positive for Covid-19 will no longer mean prolonged isolation for most people under new U.S. guidelines released Friday.
People with Covid whose symptoms are improving and have been fever-free for 24 hours without medication can return to work, school or other public places, US health officials said. Updated recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recognize the decreased severity of infections along with the effectiveness of treatments and vaccines.
After sweeping the world and leaving more than 1.1 million Americans dead in its wake, Covid has been significantly tamed by vaccines, drugs like Pfizer Inc.’s Paxlovid and widespread immunity resulting from infections. The new U.S. guidance extends beyond the coronavirus to cover household infections like the flu and RSV that can be deadly for the most vulnerable but are not considered national emergencies.
“We are in a new place,” CDC Director Mandy Cohen said in an interview with Bloomberg Television. Even when Covid cases remained high this winter, there were fewer hospitalizations and deaths. “With that trend continuing for another season, we felt it could continue.”
CDC Director Mandy Cohen joins Bloomberg News reporter Riley Griffin to discuss new Covid-19 guidelines, the fentanyl crisis, and reproductive health care. Watch it here on Monday, March 4 at 3:30 pm ET.
Respiratory viruses remain a threat, especially for people aged 65 and older and those with compromised immune systems. Older people and people with chronic illnesses who are vulnerable to Covid have opposed changes to guidelines that would put them at greater risk of contact with infected people.
There were 76,000 Covid deaths in the United States last year, according to the CDC, up from 245,000 in 2022. The flu causes up to 51,000 deaths in the United States annually.
Cohen said he hopes the revised guidance will be easier for Americans to observe. “And if more people follow that guidance, that means less viral spread,” she said, noting that high-risk people were “top of mind” when developing the recommendations.
People infected with Covid, flu or RSV should stay home as much as possible and seek treatment, the CDC said. Some remain contagious even after their symptoms subside or their fever goes away without medications like Tylenol. Those returning to work or school must wear a mask, keep distance from others, wash hands and take other measures for five days.
The CDC has additional recommendations for people who are pregnant, immunocompromised, with disabilities, or people over 65 years of age.
Today, 98% of the US population has some immunity to Covid from vaccination, infection or both, Brendan Jackson of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases told reporters on Friday. Still, that immunity can wane, so it’s important to stay up to date on vaccinations, he said.
“We saw very few people receive the updated Covid vaccine last season,” said Cohen, who took over as CDC director last summer. “Prepare now to receive the updated Covid-19 and flu vaccine this fall.”
States that have already shortened recommended isolation times have not seen significant changes in Covid hospitalizations or deaths. Last year, Oregon began allowing those who see their Covid symptoms improving and have been fever-free for 24 hours without medication to end isolation. California followed in January, adding that those who are asymptomatic but test positive do not need to isolate, but must wear a mask for 10 days.
The guidance removes yet another obstacle to employers’ efforts to convince workers to return to the office. Payroll company Gusto found that at professional services firms, nearly a third of employees took at least one sick day in 2023, a 42% increase from 2019, and average absences were about 15%. longer.
Companies should offer flexible paid leave and remote options to employees to help them stay home when they are sick, Cohen said.
While the CDC has repeatedly evaluated its Covid isolation guidelines in recent years, new waves of illness caused by viral mutations have deterred the agency from making major changes. The CDC last changed its Covid-19 isolation recommendation in 2021.
The agency has been criticized for confusing messaging during the pandemic and aims to provide a clearer, more consistent understanding of how to deal with respiratory illnesses. “We’ve learned a lot of lessons through Covid,” Cohen said.
Covid, flu and RSV produce similar symptoms that can make it difficult to distinguish between them without testing, Cohen said, and “the reality is, we know that many people don’t get tested when they’re sick.” CDC to develop “simplified advice.”
“We know this virus can change and we may have to change with it,” Cohen said. “This is the best information we have today.”
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