PC: The Washington Post

The risk of developing a serious disease, needing hospitalisation, or passing away has decreased significantly since the beginning of the pandemic, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Covid-19 advice, which was loosened on Thursday.

The CDC no longer advises testing students in schools who don’t exhibit Covid symptoms, as this method was previously employed to identify potential infections and prevent outbreaks. However, such testing is still advised in some high-risk environments like nursing homes, jails, and homeless shelters.

Additionally, in accordance with the revised CDC recommendations, non-vaccinated individuals no longer need to be quarantined if they have been exposed to Covid. Instead, health authorities now advise that these people put on a mask for ten days, then get tested after the fifth day.

According to a CDC analysis released on Thursday, the population has a high level of immunity to both infections and vaccines, which implies the virus no longer poses a serious threat to public health. The United States possesses the medicines and medications required to combat the illness, according to Greta Massetti, a CDC epidemiologist. The public health organisation, however, emphasises how important it is for everyone to continue to receive their vaccinations on schedule.

Massetti said in a statement that the advice “acknowledges that the pandemic is not over, but also helps us advance to a place when COVID-19 no longer adversely interrupts our daily life.”

As vaccine immunity begins to wane and people huddle indoors to avoid the colder weather, public health officials have warned that the United States may experience a major wave of infection in the fall and winter.

The U.S. has regularly encountered novel omicron subvariants that are more contagious than earlier iterations of the virus, which has resulted in persistently high infection rates. Omicron BA.5, the currently dominant strain of the virus, increased infection rates in the spring and early summer.

If you test positive, what to do


Regardless of vaccination status, individuals with healthy immune systems should isolate for five days after testing positive for the virus. However, if you have not experienced any symptoms or have not experienced a fever for 24 hours and other symptoms have improved, you can end isolation at day six.

You should continue to use a premium mask through day 10 following your positive test after you emerge from isolation. The recommendations state that you can stop using your mask earlier if you’ve got two negative quick antigen tests. But until at least day 11, keep away from those who are more susceptible to Covid illness, such as the elderly and those with weakened immune systems.

For ten days, people with compromised immune systems, those who have had Covid in the hospital, or those who have experienced breathing difficulties should isolate from other people. However, before ending isolation, persons with compromised immune systems and those who were hospitalised should also speak with a doctor.

According to the CDC, you should go back to isolation and start over with the instructions if you terminate isolation but your Covid symptoms get worse.

According to the CDC, the U.S. is currently reporting more than 107,000 new Covid cases per day on average. Due to the fact that many people now test at home and the findings are not recorded in official data, that number is probably much understated.

The CDC reports that on average, 6,000 persons with Covid are admitted to hospitals every day. The virus is still causing, on average, 400 deaths every day.

The CDC estimates that 67% of Americans have received all recommended vaccinations. However, just 48% of those who had their first two doses received the advised booster shot. The findings also show that only 30% of kids aged 5 to 11 had received all recommended vaccinations.