With concerns of a "tripledemic" on the rise ahead of the holiday season, and several Chicago-area counties under heightened COVID alert levels, what should you know if you test positive for COVID or come into contact with someone who has?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued changes to its COVID guidelines over the summer, changing the recommendations for quarantine, social distancing and even testing.
Since then, bivalent COVID booster shots have been administered, but a rise in RSV and flu, coupled with continued COVID cases have left some worried.
Here's what you should know:
Quarantine
The CDC previously said that if people who are not up to date on their COVID-19 vaccinations come into close contact with a person who tests positive, they should stay home for at least five days. Now the agency says quarantining at home is not necessary, but it urges those people to wear a high-quality mask for 10 days and get tested after five.
Isolation
The agency continues to say that people who test positive should isolate from others for at least five days, regardless of whether they were vaccinated. CDC officials advise that people can end isolation if they are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of medication and they are without symptoms or the symptoms are improving.
Those who feel sick should also isolate until they receive test results, according to the guidance.
But symptoms also play a role in isolation timelines. The guidelines state:
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- If you had moderate illness (if you experienced shortness of breath or had difficulty breathing) or severe illness (you were hospitalized) due to COVID-19 or you have a weakened immune system, you need to isolate through day 10.
- If you had severe illness or have a weakened immune system, consult your doctor before ending isolation. Ending isolation without a viral test may not be an option for you. If you are unsure if your symptoms are moderate or severe or if you have a weakened immune system, talk to a healthcare provider for further guidance.
Also if you leave isolation but your symptoms worsen, you must restart isolation for another 10 days.
- After you have ended isolation, if your COVID-19 symptoms worsen, restart your isolation at day 0. Talk to a healthcare provider if you have questions about your symptoms or when to end isolation.
Testing
The guidelines also include information about testing asymptomatic people and those who had severe symptoms.
- Recommending screening testing of asymptomatic people without known exposures will no longer be recommended in most community settings.
- If you had severe illness or have a weakened immune system, consult your doctor before ending isolation. Ending isolation without a viral test may not be an option for you. If you are unsure if your symptoms are moderate or severe or if you have a weakened immune system, talk to a healthcare provider for further guidance.
The Food and Drug Administration also updated its recommendations for how many times people exposed to COVID-19 should test.
Previously, the FDA had advised taking two rapid antigen tests over two or three days to rule out infection. Now the agency recommends three tests.
Social Distancing
The CDC also said people no longer need to stay at least 6 feet away from others in some situations.
The guidelines emphasize that "physical distance is just one component of how to protect yourself and others."
"It is important to consider the risk in a particular setting, including local COVID-19 Community Levels and the important role of ventilation, when assessing the need to maintain physical distance," the CDC states.
Masking
Masking recommendations depend on a county's "community level" for COVID, which is issued by the CDC weekly.
Under CDC recommendations for counties at "medium" risk level, the elderly and immunocompromised are recommended to wear a mask in indoor public places and receive COVID vaccinations and booster shots, if eligible.
Here are the recommendations:
- If you are at high risk of getting very sick, wear a high-quality mask or respirator (e.g., N95) when indoors in public
- If you have household or social contact with someone at high risk for getting very sick, consider self-testing to detect infection before contact, and consider wearing a high-quality mask when indoors with them
Chicago's health department also noted that anyone traveling to counties under a medium or high community level should mask in indoor public spaces.
Once a county reaches a "high" alert level, masking is recommended for all in indoor public spaces, per the CDC:
- Wear a high-quality mask or respirator.
- If you are at high risk of getting very sick, consider avoiding non-essential indoor activities in public where you could be exposed.
