The American Medical Association and leaders of the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals are condemning and questioning revisions the CDC recently made to the federal agency's COVID-19 isolation guidance.
The CDC's isolation protocol, updated Dec. 27, shortened the recommended isolation time from 10 days to five for asymptomatic Americans or those whose symptoms are resolving and have been fever-free for 24 hours without the use of medications. Isolation for those individuals may end after those five days, followed by five days of masking up around others, according to the guidance.
Before making changes for the public, the CDC also reduced the recommended isolation period for asymptomatic healthcare workers Dec. 23, from 10 to seven days — with a negative test. In the event of staff shortages, that isolation time can be cut further, the CDC said, adding that healthcare workers who have received a complete vaccination series, plus a booster, don't need to quarantine at home following high-risk exposures to the virus.
In a statement released Jan. 5, Gerald E. Harmon, MD, president of the American Medical Association, described the CDC's revisions as confusing and counterproductive.
"Nearly two years into this pandemic, with omicron cases surging across the country, the American people should be able to count on the CDC for timely, accurate, clear guidance to protect themselves, their loved ones and their communities," Dr. Harmon said. "Instead, the new recommendations on quarantine and isolation are not only confusing but are risking further spread of the virus."
He also noted that "tens of thousands — potentially hundreds of thousands of people" could return to work and school while still infectious if they follow the CDC's new guidance for the public and recommended that a negative test be required for ending isolation after an individual tests positive.
In a news release, the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals weighed in on the new guidance as well, specifically as it pertains to healthcare workers.
The union said the revisions are "not what's good for the health of healthcare workers and patients."
Leaders of the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals also argue that the federal government should do more to protect healthcare workers who have worked to protect the public during the pandemic.
The CDC is standing by its newly updated guidance.
The agency has said the new guidance for the general public "is motivated by science demonstrating that the majority of SARS-CoV-2 transmission occurs early in the course of illness." In issuing the new recommendations for healthcare workers, Rochelle Walensky, MD, CDC director, said, "As the healthcare community prepares for an anticipated surge in patients due to omicron, CDC is updating our recommendations to reflect what we know about infection and exposure in the context of vaccination and booster doses.
"Our goal is to keep healthcare personnel and patients safe and to address and prevent undue burden on our healthcare facilities. Our priority remains prevention — and I strongly encourage all healthcare personnel to get vaccinated and boosted."