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CDC today released updated recommendations on how people can protect themselves and their communities from respiratory viruses, including COVID-19. The new guidance provides a unified approach to addressing the risks of a variety of common respiratory viral diseases, such as COVID-19, influenza and RSV, which can cause significant health impacts and stress on hospitals and healthcare workers. CDC is updating recommendations now because the U.S. is seeing far fewer hospitalizations and deaths associated with COVID-19 and because we have more tools than ever to fight flu, COVID, and RSV.
“Today’s announcement reflects the progress we have made in protecting against serious illness caused by COVID-19,” said CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen. “However, we still need to use the common sense solutions that we know work to protect ourselves and others from serious illness caused by respiratory viruses; this includes vaccination, treatment, and staying home when we get sick.”
As part of the guidance, the CDC provides active recommendations on basic prevention measures and strategies:
- stay up to date with vaccination to protect people against serious illness, hospitalization and death. This includes flu, COVID-19, and RSV, if you are eligible.
- Practice good hygiene covering coughs and sneezes, washing or sanitizing hands frequently, and cleaning frequently touched surfaces.
- Taking steps for cleaner airsuch as bringing in more fresh air from outside, purifying indoor air, or gathering outdoors.
When people get sick with a respiratory virus, the updated guidance recommends that they stay home and away from others. For people with COVID-19 and influenza, treatment is available that can lessen symptoms and reduce the risk of severe illness. Recommendations suggest returning to normal activities when, for at least 24 hours, symptoms generally improve and, if fever was present, it has disappeared without the use of fever-reducing medication.
Once people resume normal activities, they are encouraged to adopt additional prevention strategies over the next five days to slow the spread of the disease, such as taking more steps to achieve cleaner air, improving hygiene practices, using a well-fitting mask, keep your distance from others, and/or get tested for respiratory viruses. It is especially important to strengthen precautions to protect those at highest risk of severe illness, including those over 65 and people with weakened immune systems. The CDC’s updated guidance reflects how circumstances have changed around COVID-19 in particular. While it remains a threat, it is much less likely to cause serious illness today due to widespread immunity and better tools to prevent and treat the disease. Importantly, states and countries that have already adjusted recommended isolation times have not seen an increase in hospitalizations or deaths related to COVID-19.
While not all respiratory viruses act the same, taking a unified approach to limiting the spread of disease makes recommendations easier to follow and therefore more likely to be adopted and is not dependent on individuals perform disease screening, a practice that data shows is uneven.
“The bottom line is that when people follow these practical recommendations to avoid getting sick and protect themselves and others if they do get sick, it will help limit the spread of respiratory viruses, and that will mean fewer people will experience serious illness. ”said Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. “That includes taking increased precautions that can help protect people who are at higher risk of getting seriously ill.”
The updated guidance also includes specific sections with additional considerations for people who are at higher risk of severe illness from respiratory viruses, including immunocompromised people, people with disabilities, people who are or were recently pregnant, young children, and adults. greater. Respiratory viruses remain a threat to public health. CDC will continue to focus its efforts on ensuring that the public has the information and tools to reduce the risk of respiratory illnesses by protecting themselves, their families, and their communities.
This updated guide is intended for community settings. There are no changes to the guidance on respiratory viruses for healthcare settings.