Two lines appear on the test card, 15 minutes after you’ve swabbed the depths of your nostrils and swirled the contents in a plastic tube. You’ve got COVID.
As recently as February, a positive rapid test would’ve meant five days of isolation, away from work, school, and/or other obligations that involve going out in public. Not anymore. In March, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its COVID isolation guidelines based on symptoms, not time since testing positive.
The guidelines shifted in part to match those of other common respiratory viral illnesses, including the flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The CDC now says you’re cleared to resume normal activities when the following are both true for at least 24 hours:
- Your symptoms are getting better overall
- You haven’t had a fever (and aren’t using fever-reducing medication)
Bottom line: If you’re sick, stay home. If your symptoms persist, you may end up isolating for five or more days after all, but you’ll be doing your part to protect your loved ones, coworkers, and others in your community from infection.
If you absolutely can’t stay home while ill, be sure to wear a mask, says Dr. Robert Hopkins Jr., medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID).
“Those who have symptoms of a respiratory virus—cough, sneezing, body aches, nasal congestion with or without fever—should test for COVID-19—and influenza when influenza is circulating in their communities,” Hopkins tells Fortune via email. “If the test is positive, call a health care professional who may prescribe antiviral medication to help lessen their symptoms and the risk for severe illness.”
Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir with ritonavir), the oral COVID antiviral manufactured by Pfizer, cuts your risk of hospitalization by over half and risk of death by 75%, according to the CDC. The agency considers people with conditions such as asthma, diabetes, or obesity at high risk of severe infection, and therefore candidates for Paxlovid. Ask your doctor if this or another antiviral treatment is right for you.
Take precautions for 5 days after COVID symptoms subside
That more than 98% of the U.S. population has some COVID immunity from vaccination and/or prior infection is another reason the CDC opted to move on from its recommended five-day isolation. The agency does, however, encourage people recovering from coronavirus infection to observe a five-day precautionary period once their “stay-at-home” span has ended.
You’re most contagious in the few days before and after symptoms appear, but it’s possible you could infect others after your symptoms have subsided and you’ve resumed regular activities. The following are part of the CDC’s strategy for mitigating disease spread after infection:
- Keeping a distance from others
- Wearing a well-fitting mask that covers the mouth and nose
- Practicing good hygiene by covering coughs and sneezes, washing or sanitizing hands often, and cleaning frequently touched surfaces
- Taking steps for cleaner air, such as bringing in more fresh outside air, purifying indoor air, or gathering outdoors
The new guidelines reflect “the progress we have made in protecting against severe illness from COVID-19,” CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen said in a March news release. “However, we still must use the commonsense solutions we know work to protect ourselves and others from serious illness from respiratory viruses—this includes vaccination, treatment, and staying home when we get sick.”
Fewer than 1 in 5 adults plan to mask up in fall, winter
Updated isolation guidance or not, few U.S. adults plan to wear a mask this fall and winter, according to an NFID survey released Wednesday.
Fewer than one in five (19%) said they’d mask up in a hospital, pharmacy, or doctor’s office, while nearly half (49%) said they’d only wear a mask in health care settings if required. The survey also broke down people’s likelihood of wearing a mask in health care environments by race and ethnicity:
- Black: 38%
- Hispanic: 23%
- White: 13%
While you can catch respiratory illnesses including COVID any time of year, the U.S. is entering respiratory virus season. The actions you do—or don’t—take to protect your own health and that of those around you have consequences, Dr. Reed Tuckson, cofounder of the Black Coalition Against COVID, said during an NFID news conference Wednesday.
“To care about whether or not what you may do could sicken or injure another person, there’s a moral and ethical issue here,” Tuckson said. “Some of us want to be heroes and sheroes: ‘I was sick as a dog and I went to work anyway, and that shows you how tough I am.’
“As opposed to, the other narrative is, ‘Let me tell you how rude I am, and how willing I am to infect other people just to show you what a great ego I am.’ Which side of that equation do you want to be on?”
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