New Guidance about COVID Isolation and Quarantine
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/ Categories: WELLNESS, 2021

New Guidance about COVID Isolation and Quarantine

Earlier this week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reduced the recommended duration of quarantine after exposure to someone with COVID-19 and isolation after testing positive for the virus. Extensive experience over time has shown that most transmission of the virus to other people occurs 1 - 2 days after an individual is exposed and up to 3 days after symptoms begin.

A large proportion of the population will be exposed to the omicron variant over the next several weeks. We should expect a progressively negative impact on some services, including public transportation, retail stores, sporting events, and school activities. Such disruptions were evident when thousands of flights were canceled over the Christmas holiday due to flight crews requiring isolation after testing positive for the virus. The CDC’s new guidance aims to preserve safety while decreasing unnecessary disruption to our daily lives.

Here’s what you need to know:

After Exposure

  • Those who are vaccinated and if eligible, boosted, do not need to quarantine after exposure. They should, however, wear a mask around others for 10 days.
  • People who are unvaccinated or vaccinated but have not received a booster when eligible should quarantine for 5 days after exposure to someone with COVID-19, followed by 5 days of mask use when around others, including in the home with family.
  • All individuals who are exposed should get a COVID-19 test 5 days after their exposure.

(Click image to download or print)

After Testing Positive

  • An infected person may end isolation after 5 days after the positive test if symptoms are resolving and they are not experiencing a fever.
  • If the symptoms persist after isolating for 5 days, the person should remain isolated until symptoms are resolving and they are not experiencing a fever.
  • The individual may then return to normal activities but should wear a mask around others for 5 more days.

(Click image to download or print. Note that the chart below is on page 2 of the PDF.)


Anyone with Symptoms

Individuals with symptoms, regardless of whether they have been exposed, should quarantine until a negative test confirms the symptoms are not due to COVID-19.

Nearly every one of us will encounter the virus at some point in the near future. We can take solace in knowing that those who are vaccinated and boosted are much more likely to be asymptomatic or experience or cold- and flu-type symptoms rather than severe illness requiring hospitalization.

Trey Dobson, MD, is the chief medical officer at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center in Bennington and an emergency medicine physician at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health. 

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Resuming Regular Care

So many important medical appointments were booked for March and April and canceled during the height of the pandemic. Now we are beginning to refocus on the fact that skipping appointments, even if you are feeling well now, could become harmful.

One important group of patients that we are eager to see are those with serious chronic conditions. These diseases require patients to see their primary care provider or a specialist at least once a year and sometimes far more frequently than that. Those with heart failure, kidney disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, for instance, all require regular contact with your provider.

Another group of patients we'd like to see are those with new medical concerns. We know that new medical concerns don't stop during a pandemic. Some conditions, like depression and anxiety, are far more prevalent during a pandemic than before. In many cases, new conditions are easiest to treat when patients first notice symptoms, and delaying care for these conditions can be dangerous.

Even regular care for those who are healthy is as important as ever. Other diseases—cancer in particular—haven't gone away. So, if you would normally be getting a screening such as a colonoscopy or mammogram, it's time to schedule an appointment. Many cancers can be detected and treated early with better outcomes. We can only expect those good results, if people are screened.

For children, regular vaccines are very important. If a big portion of the population neglects to get important childhood vaccines on schedule, we may be susceptible to outbreaks of measles or whooping cough.

There are many steps we have taken to improve safety for those seeking medical care. The first one is the availability of telemedicine. If the condition you are seeking treatment for does not require diagnostics or a physical exam, your provider can meet you virtually using any Internet-enabled device or over the phone. See details here.

If you do need to come to the office, you will notice check-ins at entrances, where staff check patients and visitors for respiratory symptoms and ensure that all are masked. You'll also notice efforts to space the waiting rooms to improve social distancing.

So how do you get the care you need?

  • If you have a primary care provider, call in to see what you may have missed during the pandemic. Did you miss an appointment to manage a chronic condition? Also share any new health concerns you have and check that you and your family members are up to date on all of your screenings and vaccinations.
  • If you don’t have a regular doctor, it makes sense to get one now. Locally, call the find-a-provider line at 802-447-5007 for a directory of practices that are accepting new patients.
  • Those with time-sensitive medical needs can use ExpressCare, a walk-in clinic, on the hospital campus in Bennington. Be sure to call ahead to 802-440-4077 if you have respiratory symptoms.
  • For Emergency Care, always come directly to the SVMC Emergency Department.

Most off all, we want our patients to know that we are here for them. There is no longer a need to delay medical care, whether for known conditions, new concerns, or preventive care. In every step we take, we are protecting patients against COVID-19 and helping patients with all of their other medical needs, too.

Bob Schwartz, MD, is associate medical director of Dartmouth- Hitchcock Putnam Physicians at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center in Bennington and a family medicine physician at SVMC Northshire Campus in Manchester.

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