Dr. Sanjay Gupta: Coming out of Covid-19 isolation doesn't have to be complicated

https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/06/health/covid-isolation-testing-gupta/index.html

With more than a half-million Americans being officially diagnosed with Covid-19 every day, the need for clear guidance on isolation and quarantine is critically important. Sadly, the guidance from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is continuously changing, confusing and at times contradictory.

Dr. Gerald Harmon, president of the American Medical Association, said in a statement Wednesday that the agency's latest guidance threatens to allow the virus to spread further, putting patients and the health care system at risk.

The most recent CDC recommendations also highlight a persistent problem throughout the pandemic: a lack of available testing and a fundamental misunderstanding of how these tests are designed to work.

As things stand now, people with Covid-19 are asked to:

• Stay home for at least five days

• End isolation if symptoms are resolving

• Wear a mask around others for five more days

• Testing at the end of five days of isolation with a rapid antigen test is optional.

So what should you do? I suggest a simple and effective strategy that relies on both testing and clinical symptoms, distinguishes between those who are vaccinated or not, and still allows for a rapid return to normal life if you're well.

Dr Gupta addresses the CDC guidance one by one. Read on.