According to some recent reports in the media, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention could soon change its isolation guidance for people who have tested positive for COVID. The agency is considering new guidelines where workers and school-aged children would not be required to isolate before returning to school or work if they have been fever-free for at least 24 hours without medication and if their symptoms are mild or resolving.
WVXU interviewed Carl Fichtenbaum, MD, of the Division of Infectious Diseases in the UC College of Medicine to get his expert perspective.
"The current guidance remains in place but there are some discussions behind the scenes talking about changing guidance from the five-day rule that currently exists where if you are infected with COVID and you have no symptoms, you're supposed to wait five days until you go back in public," Fichtenbaum said. "If you're symptomatic, you're supposed to wait five days until your symptoms are improving and you've had no fever for a day or two."