New COVID Guidance

Thanks to vaccines, boosters, and treatments, last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced simplified guidance for living in a world with COVID-19. While the pandemic is not over, it can have less of an impact on our daily lives.

Note: I have organized the guidance based on individual situation. Those reading all the way through will notice some repetition. The hope is that you can return to this column if you have a run-in with COVID and be able to find tailored guidance quickly and easily. 

Everyone

1. Stay up to date with COVID vaccinations. If you are 50 or older or have a condition that may put you at risk for a serious case of COVID, you are eligible for four shots. Healthy people age 5 and older are eligible for three, and healthy people who are 6 months – 4 years are eligible for two.
2. Recognize the COVID Community Level, ventilation, and physical distance as factors that affect risk. Meeting outside or in well-ventilated areas and in uncrowded places where you can maintain distance from others reduces risk. Wear a mask in public, according to recommendations associated with the current COVID Community Level.

People with no symptoms but who have had an exposure to COVID
If you were exposed to someone with COVID, regardless of your vaccination status, you should wear a high-quality medical-grade surgical mask for 10 days and test yourself on day 5. Test at home using a rapid antigen test. They are available at most pharmacies and free through local health departments and at COVID.gov. Test three times 24 hours apart from day 5 onward . People who test negative after three tests should continue to wear a high-quality mask for 10 days.

People with symptoms
If you have symptoms of COVID, you should wear a high-quality mask for 10 days. Test yourself immediately after symptoms begin using a rapid antigen test. They are available at most pharmacies and free through local health departments and at COVID.gov. Test three times 24 hours apart if tests are negative and you continue to have symptoms. Continue to wear a mask for 10 days, regardless of the test results.

People who test positive with no symptoms
If you test positive, notify your close contacts and isolate from others for at least 5 days. Avoid being around those who are at high risk for a serious case of COVID until at least day 11. If you are at risk for a serious case of COVID, speak with your doctor about whether there is a treatment that would be right for you.

People who Test Positive with Symptoms
If you test positive, notify your close contacts and isolate from others for at least 5 days. Avoid being around those who are at high risk for a serious case of COVID until at least day 11. If you are at high risk for a serious case of COVID, speak with your doctor about the possibility of starting a treatment.

1. If you are fever-free for 24 hours without using fever-reducing medications and your symptoms are improving, you may end isolation after 5 days.
2. Those with moderate-to-severe COVID should isolate through day 10.
3. If you had severe illness or have a weakened immune system, consult your doctor before ending isolation. You may need a test to end isolation.
4. Sometimes symptoms get better and then return or worsen again. In that case, your isolation starts over at day zero.

If we all follow these recommendations, we can keep ourselves, our families, and our communities safe and further lessen the impact of COVID on our lives.

Marie George, MD, FIDSA, is an infectious disease specialist at SVMC Infectious Disease, part of Southwestern Vermont Medical Center and Southwestern Vermont Health Care in Bennington.