US is considering recommending that people exposed to Covid end quarantine if they have tested negative for the virus after five days, Dr. Fauci said.
Anthony Fauci joins a meeting with US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris and other members of the White House COVID-19 Response Team on developments related to the Omicron COVID-19 variant from The State Dining Room at the White House in Washington, US, December 9, 2021.
Leah Millis | Reuters
The United States is considering recommending that individuals exposed to Covid stop quarantine if they test negative for the virus after five days, US infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci said on Sunday.
The move could come after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention faced harsh feedback for its decision to reduce Covid-19 isolation time for people who are asymptomatic for up to five days from day 10, even if the person continues to test positive.
Fauci said on ABC’s “This Week”. “It’s something that’s now being looked at.”
“The CDC is very well aware that there’s been some feedback on that. In retrospect, there could be an option in that, testing could be part of that. And I think we’ll hear a lot more. about that in the next day or so from the CDC,” he added.
“I personally thought it was the logical thing to do,” Fauci later told CNN’s “State of the Union.”
The updated guidelines come amid a surge in new Covid-19 cases, due to the highly contagious omicron variant. Some have criticized the move as putting business benefits scientifically, as the increase in cases could exacerbate the nationwide labor shortage.
To date, US health officials have defended the change.
“During the second half of the 10-day period, which is usually a 10-day quarantine period, the likelihood of transmission is significantly lower in the second half. For that reason, the CDC has made the judgment that it will be relative. low, Fauci said on CNN.
Last week, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said the agency avoids recommending isolation testing because it’s scientifically unclear whether rapid antigen testing is a good indicator of transmissibility. Meanwhile, a PCR test can show the disease for months.
