CDC’s New Virus Guidelines Would Shorten Quarantine for Exposure

WASHINGTON — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told President Donald Trump’s coronavirus task force on Tuesday that its new guidance would cut quarantine time for individuals exposed to the virus by as much as half, according to two people familiar with the matter.
The new recommended quarantine would be seven days for those who test negative after exposure to COVID-19, and 10 days for those who do not take a test, said the people, who were granted anonymity to discuss information that has not been made public.
Currently, CDC guidelines for people who have been exposed is to “stay home for 14 days after your last contact with a person who has COVID-19.”
The CDC’s new guidance was reported earlier Tuesday by the New York Times.
Over the weekend, members of the task force appeared on several news programs to promise a swift rollout of coronavirus vaccines by the end of the year.
Health-care workers and residents at long-term care centers should be first in line for the vaccines, key U.S. government advisers urged Tuesday, citing the high risk for infection within these groups and the positive effects on hospitals.
___
(c)2020 Bloomberg News
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC
In The News
Health
Voting
Health

WASHINGTON — This week, U.S. Reps. Ron Kind, D-Wis., and Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., sent a bipartisan letter to Operation Warp Speed leadership urging them to consider the unique challenges of vaccine distribution to rural areas across Wisconsin and take steps to support timely and equitable vaccine... Read More

The rapid expansion of COVID-19 vaccinations to senior citizens across the U.S. has led to bottlenecks, system crashes and hard feelings in many states because of overwhelming demand for the shots. Mississippi's Health Department stopped taking new appointments the same day it began accepting them because... Read More

WILMINGTON, Del. - President-elect Joe Biden on Thursday night unveiled a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief plan intended to aid struggling Americans and businesses, bolster state and local governments, and dramatically ramp up the distribution of the coronavirus vaccine with a goal of reaching 100 million doses... Read More

WUHAN, China (AP) — The WHO team of international researchers that arrived in the central Chinese city of Wuhan on Thursday hopes to find clues to the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic. The visit has been shrouded in secrecy, with neither China nor the WHO revealing... Read More

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Supreme Court lifted a nationwide injunction Tuesday that had prevented the federal government from enforcing a rule that required women to see a health care professional in person before she'd be given access to a so-called abortion pill. The Food and Drug... Read More

WASHINGTON - Reps. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., and Anthony Brown, D-Md., are tired of colleagues who refuse to wear a face mask to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Now, they are urging the House to impose a $1,000 a day fine on any member of Congress... Read More