In case you missed it, the CDC has revised its isolation and quarantine guidance:
CDC has shortened the recommended time for #COVID19 isolation and quarantine. Learn more about what to do if you test positive or have close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19: https://t.co/ScxsyrZI16.
— CDC (@CDCgov) December 27, 2021
They’ve shortened it from 10 days to 5:
Given what we currently know about COVID-19 and the Omicron variant, CDC is shortening the recommended time for isolation from 10 days for people with COVID-19 to 5 days, if asymptomatic, followed by 5 days of wearing a mask when around others. The change is motivated by science demonstrating that the majority of SARS-CoV-2 transmission occurs early in the course of illness, generally in the 1-2 days prior to onset of symptoms and the 2-3 days after. Therefore, people who test positive should isolate for 5 days and, if asymptomatic at that time, they may leave isolation if they can continue to mask for 5 days to minimize the risk of infecting others.
Additionally, CDC is updating the recommended quarantine period for those exposed to COVID-19. For people who are unvaccinated or are more than six months out from their second mRNA dose (or more than 2 months after the J&J vaccine) and not yet boosted, CDC now recommends quarantine for 5 days followed by strict mask use for an additional 5 days. Alternatively, if a 5-day quarantine is not feasible, it is imperative that an exposed person wear a well-fitting mask at all times when around others for 10 days after exposure. Individuals who have received their booster shot do not need to quarantine following an exposure, but should wear a mask for 10 days after the exposure. For all those exposed, best practice would also include a test for SARS-CoV-2 at day 5 after exposure. If symptoms occur, individuals should immediately quarantine until a negative test confirms symptoms are not attributable to COVID-19.
Recommended
How magnanimous of them. And scientific AF:
From CDC — "For people who are unvaccinated or are more than six months out from their second mRNA dose(or more than 2 months after the J&J vaccine) and not yet boosted, CDC now recommends…" Translation: CDC lumping double vaxxed ppl w/ unvaxxed https://t.co/Ew5sWtL2MT
— Philip Klein (@philipaklein) December 28, 2021
Still, we suppose that the new guidance is a sign of progress. At least for now. Not that we’re prepared to be high-fiving the CDC over any of it.
The CDC pulled “6 feet” out of thin air only to arbitrarily halve it to 3 feet. Now they’re halving the quarantine time from 10 to 5 days in order to “keep society functioning.”
Follow the pseudoscience
— Samuel Bravo (@bravojourno) December 28, 2021
It certainly doesn’t appear to be actual science that’s guiding the CDC’s guidances. So where are they actually getting this stuff?
Twitchy staple @politicalmath has a theory:
Every time you see a story about how the federal gov't is changing their COVID response in light of the winter surge, you need to ask "Why are they doing this now instead of during the summer/fall surge?"
I have my theory and it's not flatteringhttps://t.co/jJ5Xc5puty
— PoliMath (@politicalmath) December 28, 2021
It may not be flattering, but that doesn’t mean it’s not extremely plausible.
My theory is that basically everyone working the COVID response at the federal level thought that the South deserved their summer surge, that it was entirely b/c they were too dumb to get vaccinated, so it's fine to just let them suffer.
— PoliMath (@politicalmath) December 28, 2021
Now that COVID is hitting the north, they realize that the policy response for mildly sick and asymptomatic people is vastly worse than the disease, terribly intrusive, and incredibly destabilizing
Now that they have to deal with it, they've decided its time to change it.
— PoliMath (@politicalmath) December 28, 2021
The truth hurts.
"Maybe it's b/c of Omicron"
That is certainly the excuse they are using. But this surge started before we even knew Omicron was a thing. Most of the infections this month are Delta.
— PoliMath (@politicalmath) December 28, 2021
I'm being deeply uncharitable, especially since they are doing something I agree with.
But their decision making is completely opaque. They point to zero studies on how they came to this conclusion. They just wave their hands & mutter "Omicron".https://t.co/nS3H9UYzWK
— PoliMath (@politicalmath) December 28, 2021
At this point, the CDC doesn’t deserve anyone’s charity. They certainly don’t deserve the benefit of anyone’s doubt.
Feel free to point back to this next summer, when the press, Biden, Fauci, and the CDC all attack the South as hopeless rubes for having a summer surge again.
— PoliMath (@politicalmath) December 28, 2021
Don’t worry; we will.
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