The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated its guidelines to indicate COVID-19 presents no greater threat than that of any other respiratory illness. The CDC had not updated its guidelines since 2021 at the height of the pandemic. The public is no longer advised to self-isolate for five days after contracting the illness, rather take the same precautions one would take with the flu. Stay home for one day until fever subsides, the CDC said in its latest guidance, adding one should still wear a mask and avoid close contact with others for five days afterwards. Earlier in the pandemic, coming down with the virus would have meant two weeks of self-quarantine and several rounds of testing. Vaccines were mandated in the US as they were in Canada, with some people losing their jobs for refusing to comply and many others who did take the jab suffering from adverse health events. The CDC now clears people with COVID-19 to return to work or school 24 hours after fevers dissipate. Dr. Brendan Jackson, head of the respiratory virus response for the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Disease, said Friday COVID-19 is no longer considered an emergency, per The Wall Street Journal.“COVID-19 is still an important public health threat, but it is not the emergency that it once was.”“Its health impacts increasingly resemble those of other illnesses, including influenza and RSV,” said Jackson. “To put that differently, in 2021, COVID was the third leading cause of death in the United States. Last year, it was the 10th.”.According to The WSJ, most Americans stopped taking COVID-19 tests and self-isolating a long time ago. Doctors generally recommend masks only when someone is exhibiting symptoms. Hospitalization rates for COVID-19 patients have dropped 75% in the last few years, and deaths have decreased more than 90%. Jackson added that people should remember that “COVID-19 is not the flu” and “still causes more serious illness and leads to more lasting effects.” The CDC continues to advise people to take their COVID-19 boosters and seasonal flu shots.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated its guidelines to indicate COVID-19 presents no greater threat than that of any other respiratory illness. The CDC had not updated its guidelines since 2021 at the height of the pandemic. The public is no longer advised to self-isolate for five days after contracting the illness, rather take the same precautions one would take with the flu. Stay home for one day until fever subsides, the CDC said in its latest guidance, adding one should still wear a mask and avoid close contact with others for five days afterwards. Earlier in the pandemic, coming down with the virus would have meant two weeks of self-quarantine and several rounds of testing. Vaccines were mandated in the US as they were in Canada, with some people losing their jobs for refusing to comply and many others who did take the jab suffering from adverse health events. The CDC now clears people with COVID-19 to return to work or school 24 hours after fevers dissipate. Dr. Brendan Jackson, head of the respiratory virus response for the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Disease, said Friday COVID-19 is no longer considered an emergency, per The Wall Street Journal.“COVID-19 is still an important public health threat, but it is not the emergency that it once was.”“Its health impacts increasingly resemble those of other illnesses, including influenza and RSV,” said Jackson. “To put that differently, in 2021, COVID was the third leading cause of death in the United States. Last year, it was the 10th.”.According to The WSJ, most Americans stopped taking COVID-19 tests and self-isolating a long time ago. Doctors generally recommend masks only when someone is exhibiting symptoms. Hospitalization rates for COVID-19 patients have dropped 75% in the last few years, and deaths have decreased more than 90%. Jackson added that people should remember that “COVID-19 is not the flu” and “still causes more serious illness and leads to more lasting effects.” The CDC continues to advise people to take their COVID-19 boosters and seasonal flu shots.
