The CDC is mulling a revision that recommends a testing component to its recently updated COVID-19 isolation guidelines, which shortened the isolation time for asymptomatic people from 10 days to five, ABC News reported.
The CDC's isolation protocol, updated Dec. 27, cut the recommended isolation time from 10 days to five for people no longer showing symptoms, followed by five days of wearing a mask around others. The agency is now considering adding a testing component to the isolation guidance amid criticism from health officials, Anthony Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told ABC News on Jan. 2.
"There has been some concern about why we don't ask people at that five-day period to get tested. That is something that is now under consideration," Dr. Fauci said. "The CDC is very well aware there has been some pushback about that. Looking at it again, there may be an option in that — that testing could be a part of that," he said, adding that the public can expect to hear more from the CDC on the guidance soon.
The CDC said the Dec. 27 isolation protocol change "is motivated by science demonstrating that the majority of SARS-CoV-2 transmission occurs early in the course of illness."
Prior to changes for the general public, the CDC also trimmed the recommended isolation period for asymptomatic healthcare workers Dec. 23, saying they can return to work after seven days — compared to the previously recommended 10 — with a negative test.