CDC Updates COVID-19 Guidelines
New guidelines published last week include what to do if you are exposed to COVID-19.
- By Alex Saurman
- Aug 15, 2022
On Thursday, the CDC updated its COVID-19 guideline recommendations for community settings. These included recommendations on what to do if you were exposed, are waiting for test results or test positive.
People that have been exposed to COVID-19 should “wear a high-quality mask for 10 days and get tested on day 5,” the CDC recommends, as opposed to quarantining. When waiting for test results, if you experience any symptoms, the CDC recommends to isolate.
If you test positive for COVID-19, the CDC recommends isolating from everyone in your house. You can end your isolation after five days if you have not had a fever (without medication) in 24 hours and your symptoms are getting better. It is still recommended to continue wearing a high-quality mask until day 10. If you experience moderate or severe illness, end isolation on day 10.
People who do not show symptoms and do not have known exposure are not recommended to test, the CDC says.
“This guidance acknowledges that the pandemic is not over, but also helps us move to a point where COVID-19 no longer severely disrupts our daily lives,” said Greta Massetti, PhD, MPH, MMWR author in a media release.
Additional information on specific settings, such as healthcare, is expected in the coming weeks.
As of August 12, 2022, over 92,000,000 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the U.S., with over 725,000 cases in the previous week, according to the CDC. Since the beginning of the pandemic, over 1,000,000 have died from COVID-19.
About the Author
Alex Saurman is a former Content Editor for Occupational Health & Safety,who has since joined OH&S’s client services team. She continues to work closely with OH&S’s editorial team and contributes to the magazine.