According to a statement released Friday from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it is no longer necessary to isolate for five days after testing positive for COVID-19.
The new guidance does however tell people to stay at home if they are sick, but can return to work or school when they are feeling better or have been fever-free for 24 hours. These are the same guidance given for flu and other respiratory illnesses.
“Our goal here is to protect those at risk for severe illness while also reassuring folks that these recommendations are simple, clear, easy-to-understand and can be followed,” said CDC Director Mandy Cohen in a statement to media on Friday.
The updated guidance “reflects the progress we’ve made in protecting against severe illness from COVID,” she added. Before Friday’s update, the CDC called for people who test positive for the virus to “stay home for at least five days and isolate from others in your home.” The recommendation had been implemented in late 2021.
“The pandemic has been over for several months, and though there was an uptick this winter, with over 20,000 hospitalizations and 1,500 deaths per week at one point, it is now diminishing,” Dr. Mandy Cohen, head of the CDC, earlier this month in an interview with Fox News medical contributor Dr. Marc Siegel.
Fox News reports that as of the most recently reported week ending Feb. 24, the share of administered COVID tests with positive results was 7.4%, a 0.6% decrease from the prior week, per CDC data. Out of all emergency department visits, 1.8% of them were diagnosed with COVID, a 0.9% week-over-week decline. Additionally, COVID-related hospitalizations decreased 10.3% from the prior week. The share of all U.S. deaths due to COVID was 2.1%, which reflected an 8.7% decrease.
