Why do self-isolation or quarantine timelines sometimes change?
Why do self-isolation or quarantine timelines sometimes change?
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The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S. CDC) recently changed quarantine guidelines. They now recommend that most people who test positive for COVID-19 isolate themselves for 10 days after their symptoms begin. The CDC previously recommended isolation for 14 days for the general population. They changed it because the latest data shows that people with mild to moderate COVID-19 (the majority of patients) are not likely to be infectious for longer than 10 days after first experiencing symptoms. In some cases, people who are experiencing more severe or critical symptoms from COVID-19 may need to quarantine for a longer period of time (up to 20 days after symptoms have started). Asymptomatic patients (individuals who never experience any symptoms, but still test positive for COVID-19) can discontinue quarantine or self-isolation precautions 10 days after their first positive test for COVID-19. Sometimes detectable levels of the virus can still be found in recovered patients, but there is no evidence to indicate that those patients are actually able to transmit the virus to other people. As a result, the U.S. CDC recommends ending quarantine or isolation measures after symptoms have ended. In general, given the limited testing availability in the United States and many other countries, the U.S. CDC does not recommend re-testing patients repeatedly if they have completed a 10-day quarantine if they have no symptoms or if symptoms have gone away, as long as the patient does not have other health conditions that leave them immunocompromised. It is important to note that isolation should only end at 10 days if the person hasn’t had a fever for at least 24 hours or any other symptoms have not improved. Patients with severe immune deficiencies may require additional tests in consultation with public health and infection control experts before to ending their quarantine. The World Health Organization (WHO) still recommends a 13-day period of self-isolation for any person who has tested positive for COVID-19. For asymptomatic patients who test positive for COVID-10, WHO recommends isolating for 10 days after testing positive. If countries decide to implement testing as part of their isolation strategy, the WHO recommends allowing people to stop isolating after two negative rapid tests at least 24 hours apart. Overall, most public health experts recommend a 10-day quarantine after a positive COVID-19 test, or after the start of symptoms.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S. CDC) recently changed quarantine guidelines. They now recommend that most people who test positive for COVID-19 isolate themselves for 10 days after their symptoms begin. The CDC previously recommended isolation for 14 days for the general population. They changed it because the latest data shows that people with mild to moderate COVID-19 (the majority of patients) are not likely to be infectious for longer than 10 days after first experiencing symptoms. In some cases, people who are experiencing more severe or critical symptoms from COVID-19 may need to quarantine for a longer period of time (up to 20 days after symptoms have started). Asymptomatic patients (individuals who never experience any symptoms, but still test positive for COVID-19) can discontinue quarantine or self-isolation precautions 10 days after their first positive test for COVID-19. Sometimes detectable levels of the virus can still be found in recovered patients, but there is no evidence to indicate that those patients are actually able to transmit the virus to other people. As a result, the U.S. CDC recommends ending quarantine or isolation measures after symptoms have ended. In general, given the limited testing availability in the United States and many other countries, the U.S. CDC does not recommend re-testing patients repeatedly if they have completed a 10-day quarantine if they have no symptoms or if symptoms have gone away, as long as the patient does not have other health conditions that leave them immunocompromised. It is important to note that isolation should only end at 10 days if the person hasn’t had a fever for at least 24 hours or any other symptoms have not improved. Patients with severe immune deficiencies may require additional tests in consultation with public health and infection control experts before to ending their quarantine. The World Health Organization (WHO) still recommends a 13-day period of self-isolation for any person who has tested positive for COVID-19. For asymptomatic patients who test positive for COVID-10, WHO recommends isolating for 10 days after testing positive. If countries decide to implement testing as part of their isolation strategy, the WHO recommends allowing people to stop isolating after two negative rapid tests at least 24 hours apart. Overall, most public health experts recommend a 10-day quarantine after a positive COVID-19 test, or after the start of symptoms.
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What our experts say
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S. CDC) recently changed quarantine guidelines. They now recommend that most people who test positive for COVID-19 isolate themselves for 10 days after their symptoms begin. The CDC previously recommended isolation for 14 days for the general population. They changed it because the latest data shows that people with mild to moderate COVID-19 (the majority of patients) are not likely to be infectious for longer than 10 days after first experiencing symptoms. In some cases, people who are experiencing more severe or critical symptoms from COVID-19 may need to quarantine for a longer period of time (up to 20 days after symptoms have started). Asymptomatic patients (individuals who never experience any symptoms, but still test positive for COVID-19) can discontinue quarantine or self-isolation precautions 10 days after their first positive test for COVID-19. Sometimes detectable levels of the virus can still be found in recovered patients, but there is no evidence to indicate that those patients are actually able to transmit the virus to other people. As a result, the U.S. CDC recommends ending quarantine or isolation measures after symptoms have ended. In general, given the limited testing availability in the United States and many other countries, the U.S. CDC does not recommend re-testing patients repeatedly if they have completed a 10-day quarantine if they have no symptoms or if symptoms have gone away, as long as the patient does not have other health conditions that leave them immunocompromised. It is important to note that isolation should only end at 10 days if the person hasn’t had a fever for at least 24 hours or any other symptoms have not improved. Patients with severe immune deficiencies may require additional tests in consultation with public health and infection control experts before to ending their quarantine. The World Health Organization (WHO) still recommends a 13-day period of self-isolation for any person who has tested positive for COVID-19. For asymptomatic patients who test positive for COVID-10, WHO recommends isolating for 10 days after testing positive. If countries decide to implement testing as part of their isolation strategy, the WHO recommends allowing people to stop isolating after two negative rapid tests at least 24 hours apart. Overall, most public health experts recommend a 10-day quarantine after a positive COVID-19 test, or after the start of symptoms.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S. CDC) recently changed quarantine guidelines. They now recommend that most people who test positive for COVID-19 isolate themselves for 10 days after their symptoms begin. The CDC previously recommended isolation for 14 days for the general population. They changed it because the latest data shows that people with mild to moderate COVID-19 (the majority of patients) are not likely to be infectious for longer than 10 days after first experiencing symptoms. In some cases, people who are experiencing more severe or critical symptoms from COVID-19 may need to quarantine for a longer period of time (up to 20 days after symptoms have started). Asymptomatic patients (individuals who never experience any symptoms, but still test positive for COVID-19) can discontinue quarantine or self-isolation precautions 10 days after their first positive test for COVID-19. Sometimes detectable levels of the virus can still be found in recovered patients, but there is no evidence to indicate that those patients are actually able to transmit the virus to other people. As a result, the U.S. CDC recommends ending quarantine or isolation measures after symptoms have ended. In general, given the limited testing availability in the United States and many other countries, the U.S. CDC does not recommend re-testing patients repeatedly if they have completed a 10-day quarantine if they have no symptoms or if symptoms have gone away, as long as the patient does not have other health conditions that leave them immunocompromised. It is important to note that isolation should only end at 10 days if the person hasn’t had a fever for at least 24 hours or any other symptoms have not improved. Patients with severe immune deficiencies may require additional tests in consultation with public health and infection control experts before to ending their quarantine. The World Health Organization (WHO) still recommends a 13-day period of self-isolation for any person who has tested positive for COVID-19. For asymptomatic patients who test positive for COVID-10, WHO recommends isolating for 10 days after testing positive. If countries decide to implement testing as part of their isolation strategy, the WHO recommends allowing people to stop isolating after two negative rapid tests at least 24 hours apart. Overall, most public health experts recommend a 10-day quarantine after a positive COVID-19 test, or after the start of symptoms.
Context and background
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S. CDC), the incubation period for COVID-19 (the time between exposure to a virus and the first appearance of symptoms) is anywhere between 4 to 14 days. While one study reported that approximately 97% of people with COVID-19 who develop symptoms do so within 11.5 days of infection, the body of evidence is still evolving. An earlier study from China estimated that the mean incubation period was about 5.2 days, with approximately 95% of patients experiencing symptoms by 12.5 days. At present, there is no evidence that suggests people with COVID-19 can be re-infected after recovering. Once symptoms start to go away, the levels of virus in the body decrease significantly, but tests can sometimes still pick up detectable levels of virus in the body after recovering. There is no evidence to indicate that this poses a transmission risk to other people. These factors play an important role in determining how people quarantine or self-isolate, and for how long. For example, a high proportion of asymptomatic cases may make it difficult to rely on symptoms alone in the absence of adequate testing. Previously, the U.S. CDC recommended that people who test positive should quarantine until they had two negative tests, but lack of testing availability made this approach impractical. At present, U.S. CDC guidelines recommend that people who have tested positive for COVID-19 or been exposed to the virus should self-isolate and quarantine for 10 days after experiencing symptoms.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S. CDC), the incubation period for COVID-19 (the time between exposure to a virus and the first appearance of symptoms) is anywhere between 4 to 14 days. While one study reported that approximately 97% of people with COVID-19 who develop symptoms do so within 11.5 days of infection, the body of evidence is still evolving. An earlier study from China estimated that the mean incubation period was about 5.2 days, with approximately 95% of patients experiencing symptoms by 12.5 days. At present, there is no evidence that suggests people with COVID-19 can be re-infected after recovering. Once symptoms start to go away, the levels of virus in the body decrease significantly, but tests can sometimes still pick up detectable levels of virus in the body after recovering. There is no evidence to indicate that this poses a transmission risk to other people. These factors play an important role in determining how people quarantine or self-isolate, and for how long. For example, a high proportion of asymptomatic cases may make it difficult to rely on symptoms alone in the absence of adequate testing. Previously, the U.S. CDC recommended that people who test positive should quarantine until they had two negative tests, but lack of testing availability made this approach impractical. At present, U.S. CDC guidelines recommend that people who have tested positive for COVID-19 or been exposed to the virus should self-isolate and quarantine for 10 days after experiencing symptoms.
Resources
- Duration of Isolation and Precautions for Adults with COVID-19 (U.S. CDC)
- Interim Clinical Guidance for Management of Patients with Confirmed Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) (U.S. CDC)
- The Incubation Period of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) From Publicly Reported Confirmed Cases: Estimation and Application (Ann Intern Med.)
- How long should you isolate if you test positive for the coronavirus? At least 10 days after symptom onset (Washington Post)
- Early Transmission Dynamics in Wuhan, China, of Novel Coronavirus–Infected Pneumonia (NEJM)
- Q&A on coronaviruses (COVID-19) (WHO)
- Criteria for releasing COVID-19 patients from isolation (WHO)
- Duration of Isolation and Precautions for Adults with COVID-19 (U.S. CDC)
- Interim Clinical Guidance for Management of Patients with Confirmed Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) (U.S. CDC)
- The Incubation Period of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) From Publicly Reported Confirmed Cases: Estimation and Application (Ann Intern Med.)
- How long should you isolate if you test positive for the coronavirus? At least 10 days after symptom onset (Washington Post)
- Early Transmission Dynamics in Wuhan, China, of Novel Coronavirus–Infected Pneumonia (NEJM)
- Q&A on coronaviruses (COVID-19) (WHO)
- Criteria for releasing COVID-19 patients from isolation (WHO)
