MIAMI – COVID is back in circulation this summer, and infection rates are rising across Florida and the country.
The excellent news is that the variants mostly circulating within the country – KP.3, KP.2 and LB.1 – cause symptoms just like previous COVID strains, akin to cough, fever and fatigue. And many individuals can get better at home.
The bad news: These variants have a mutation that makes them more contagious.
So how long must you stay home in quarantine if you’ve got COVID? And must you start wearing a mask again?
Recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have modified over the course of the pandemic. Now the federal health agency's guidelines focus more on symptoms.
The current CDC guidelines state:
What are the quarantine guidelines for COVID?
If your COVID test is positive and you’ve got symptoms: Stay home and avoid other people until overall symptoms improve and you’ve got been freed from a fever (without the assistance of fever-reducing medication) for at the very least 24 hours.
“Depending on the duration of symptoms, this period could be shorter, the same, or longer than previous guidelines for COVID-19,” the CDC explains.
Once the stay-at-home period is over, the CDC recommends taking extra precautions akin to wearing a mask and avoiding crowded areas for the subsequent five days, as you might still be contagious. Also, be sure you wash your hands incessantly.
What in case your COVID cough just won't go away?
Don't worry. While some symptoms, like fever, are common during times when someone is contagious, other symptoms, like a persistent cough, can last for a time even after you're not contagious, the CDC says.
If your COVID test is positive and you’ve got no symptoms: Take precautions for the subsequent five days to cut back your risk of infecting others, as you might still be contagious. Precautions may include wearing a mask, social distancing, washing your hands incessantly, and cleansing incessantly touched surfaces akin to doorknobs.
Why have the CDC COVID guidelines modified?
The CDC's previous COVID guidelines advisable isolating for at the very least five days after which taking additional precautions. In March, the CDC has updated its guidelines to focus more on the symptoms, just like other respiratory diseases.
The CDC said it did so for several reasons, including since the COVID situation within the country has improved, with fewer COVID-related hospitalizations and deaths, and in addition because “we have more tools than ever to fight influenza, COVID and RSV.”
“We considered several options for adjusting isolation guidelines for different lengths of time. In addition to the fact that fewer people are becoming seriously ill with COVID-19 and we have better tools to combat severe disease, CDC also considered other factors, such as the personal and societal costs of prolonged isolation,” the agency said. “We also considered when people are most likely to spread the virus (a few days before and after symptoms appear). The updated guidelines are easy to understand, practical, and evidence-based, and are more consistent with long-standing recommendations for other respiratory illnesses.”
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