CDC removes COVID-19 self-isolation requirement

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British Columbians who have COVID-19 (new coronavirus infectious disease) You no longer need to self-isolate.

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This is according to the latest guidance from the BC Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), posted on their website with little publicity. November 17th.

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“After November 17, 2022, people with COVID-19 will no longer need to self-isolate,” says the website’s new language.

Before the change, the website said fully vaccinated individuals “must self-isolate at home for five days.” When Until symptoms improve and fever disappears. ” Adults who were not vaccinated were required to self-isolate for 10 days.

The new guidance does not distinguish between those who have been vaccinated and those who have not.

Dr. Bonnie Henry almost alluded to this shift at a press conference last Wednesday, referring to the surge in flu and respiratory syncytial virus. (RSV) cases meant it was no longer possible to know which disease people were showing symptoms of.

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“One thing we’ve had in place for a long time is that if you have COVID you have to stay home for five days. That’s no longer relevant in the current situation.

“Instead, if you have symptoms of respiratory illness, we recommend that you stay home and limit close contact with others until you are free of fever and can participate in normal daily activities. I will,” she said.

Previous changes to COVID protocols have been accompanied by formal announcements and news releases detailing the changes.

Sally Otto, Canadian Research Chair for Theoretical and Experimental Evolution at the University of British Columbia, said: “I think they want people to keep doing the right thing.

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Changes to quarantine protocols mean that formal COVID restrictions for the general public are virtually gone. The time has come when other jurisdictions are considering reinstating mask mandates under certain conditions.

Last week, Ontario’s chief medical officer, Dr. Kieran Moore, said that as the province grapples with an increase in respiratory illnesses such as influenza, COVID and RSV, a common seasonal respiratory virus, people should all suggested that masks should be worn indoors and in public.

In Edmonton, the Public School Board unanimously voted to call on the state to set mandatory quarantine and masking thresholds after an outbreak of respiratory illness in a classroom. number of records.

Otto said B.C. faces a similar “triple whammy” of COVID, influenza and RSV, adding that Omicron’s viral load has remained “pretty high” for seven to 10 days.

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Otto said people should absolutely stay home if a rapid test for COVID comes back positive. ”

There are currently 328 people hospitalized with COVID in BC, 26 of whom are in urgent care.

The latest respiratory illness report from the CDC shows a “significant increase” in flu and RSV cases since September, especially among children.

A health ministry spokeswoman said basic public health guidance had not changed.

ngriffiths@postmedia.com

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