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.”