CDC Announces Shorter Quarantine Time for Covid Positive Patients

As covid numbers start to trend upwards due to the Omicron variant of covid-19 the CDC released new isolation restrictions today.

U.S. health officials are saying that Americans who test positive for covid-19 can now cut their quarantine time in half. Those who test positive with covid-19 can now leave isolation after five days and those who have been exposed to the virus can also leave isolation after five days as well.

"Therefore, people who test positive should isolate for five days and, if asymptomatic at that time, they may leave isolation if they can continue to mask for five days to minimize the risk of infecting others," the agency said in a news release.

Now you may be asking why did these numbers change?

CDC officials said that the reason the guidance has changed is because of the growing evidence that scientists and doctors are seeing that covid-19 is the most infectious two to three days after the first signs of symptoms.

This news also came as the CDC said that fully vaccinated healthcare workers do not need to quarantine for 10 days. Fully vaccinated healthcare workers can return to work after seven days as long as they are asymptomatic and test negative.

To be considered fully vaccinated according to the CDC a person must receive both doses of the covid-19 vaccine and a booster shot.