Last week CDC changed the guidelines of isolation and quarantine to shorter timeframes while the Omicron variant is now spreading in the United States. Covid Testing sites in New York, Florida, and Pennsylvania have been long with the wait time being hours. There has also been the encouragement of at-home tests however many at-home tests have been sold out in local stores all over the country.
There were news outlets reporting buying them online, however, the price gauging from online retailers as reported in this shore by Yahoo Finance
The CDC has shorted the isolation and quarantine timeframes recommendations for COVID-19 to the following:
1. The time starts the day a person receives positive results
2. Those infected should isolate for five days instead of 10 as previously recommended
3. At the end of the five if they are asymptomatic, they can return to normal activities, work, recreational, etc. but must wear a mask
The adjustment for healthcare workers has changed as well:
1. Vaccinated healthcare workers are not required to quarantine if they have been exposed to Covid-19
2. Workers who have tested positive are asymptomatic and can return to work after seven days with a negative test
This is all to help reduce the staffing shortages and have healthcare workers return to work as quickly as possible to fight the rise in Omicron cases. However, many hospital staff have been taking to social media since the pandemic began
to provide details on how they have been overworked, and limited resources for them and their patients.
Dr. Fauci has interviewed several outlets and was in favor of the new CDC guidelines. In this NBC News video, he goes into detail about what this means going forward.
However, healthcare workers are not the only workers who are affected by these changes Airlines Delta and JetBlue are also following suit to avoid the mass cancellation of flights that happened during the holiday season. As of today, there is 380,751 new case in the United States and it has been predicted to rise as New Year Celebrations approaches.
Shanda Gantt 