The United States has announced that asymptomatic people with COVID-19 could now reduce the length of their isolation from 10 to 5 days. An idea that carries its share of risks, warn two experts interviewed by Press.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the main health agency in the United States, said in a statement that the change was “justified by science.” Most infections occur within two days and three days after symptom onset, it is said.
“These updates allow everyone to continue their daily life in safety,” Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC, explained in a statement.
André Veillette, immunologist at the Montreal Clinical Research Institute, understands the desire of governments to have a functioning society. “There are so many people infected that it affects the workplaces if we keep all asymptomatic at home for 10 days,” says the expert.
However, the instruction is not based on science, he said. The decision was taken hastily given the uncertainty surrounding the Omicron variant, which is more contagious than its predecessors.
“With Omicron, we don’t really know what the safe duration would be. You cannot make decisions based on the other variants. I wouldn’t rush to do the same as our neighbors. ”
The degree of contagion of asymptomatic patients is also unclear. “It’s a choice that is not based on scientific evidence. ”
Adjust according to the workplace
Such instructions should take into account the patient’s working environment, suggests Veillette. Healthcare workers or teachers can infect large numbers of people, some of the most vulnerable. “If it’s uncertain, it’s risky to fire an infected caregiver to work after just five days. ”
“The shortage of staff in hospitals could greatly benefit from such measures”, thinks Benoit Barbeau, professor in the department of biological sciences at UQAM. However, he underlines the risk that people who are contagious may remain so after a shorter period of isolation. “We should make sure that these people get at least one negative result on a rapid test or ideally a PCR test. ”
The Omicron variant, which is much more transmissible, is today the majority in the United States. There have been more than 200,000 daily cases in the past two days, approaching the record last January. Officials are worried about a paralysis of certain economic sectors and a shortage of manpower.
Asymptomatic people can cut their isolation in half, but health officials advise wearing the mask within five days.
The duration of the quarantine for unvaccinated contact cases is also reduced from 14 to 5 days, with also the advice to wear a mask strictly within the following 5 days. According to these recommendations, fully vaccinated contact cases do not need to self-isolate.
On December 23, these authorities had already reduced the duration of isolation for caregivers.
Remember that the CDC’s recommendations are widely followed in the United States, but are not mandatory.
The sharp rise in the number of cases in the country and the ensuing periods of isolation have led airlines in recent days to cancel flights by the hundreds.
– With Agence France-Presse