The CDC has been an unmitigated disaster regarding messaging during the pandemic. Their ever-changing and often contradictory guidelines seem to be the only consistency. Recently, they adjusted the quarantine and isolation period with a new recommendation of five days. This represents a change in course from the previous suggestions of 14 days and then 10 days.
“Given what we currently know about COVID-19 and the Omicron variant, CDC is shortening the recommended time for isolation for the public. People with COVID-19 should isolate for 5 days and if they are asymptomatic or their symptoms are resolving (without fever for 24 hours), follow that by 5 days of wearing a mask when around others to minimize the risk of infecting people they encounter,” the CDC said in a media statement. “The change is motivated by science demonstrating that the majority of SARS-CoV-2 transmission occurs early in the course of illness, generally in the 1-2 days prior to onset of symptoms and the 2-3 days after.”
It is the latest in a long line of bifurcated, confusing messaging. On the one hand, cases are surging; on the other, the CDC shortens isolation times. Moreover, the move came shortly after the CDC recommended limiting holiday gatherings due to fears of spreading COVID. Allegedly, the science supports this recommendation, but the move’s aesthetics certainly appear illogical. How can people believe COVID is problematic when the CDC keeps shortening isolation recommendations?
Another caveat in this is the statement was based on the omicron variant. However, not all the cases in the country are the omicron variant. As of Dec. 25, the delta variant still accounted for over 40% of all COVID cases in the country. But with the delta variant, the recommended quarantine time was 10 days. Furthermore, people are not told of their variant when testing positive. Since the latest CDC recommendation explicitly identified “the omicron variant” is the shortened isolation time problematic to those with the delta variant? If not, was the CDC wrong in recommending 10 days for the delta variant?
Obviously, as time passes and more data become available, the trade-offs between policy outcomes changes. However, given the science community’s previous errors regarding COVID, and the fact that things change so quickly, it would make more sense for them to be more humble about what they are recommending. Presenting each decree as settled “science” only undermines the CDC’s credibility with the public.
