CDC Releases Update on Ending Isolation

On Sept. 14, 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released an update to its interim guidance entitled "Ending Isolation and Precautions for People with COVID-19." The update, available here, combines guidance on ending isolation and precautions for adults with COVID-19 and ending home isolation webpages and provides evidence for expanding these recommendations to include children.

From the guidance:

Recommendations for Ending Isolation

For most people with a current laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, isolation and precautions can be discontinued 10 days after symptom onset and after resolution of fever for at least 24 hours, without the use of fever-reducing medications, and with improvement of other symptoms.

For people who are severely ill or severely immunocompromised:

• A test-based strategy can be considered in consultation with infectious disease experts.
• Some people with severe illness (e.g., requiring hospitalization, intensive care, or ventilation support) may produce replication-competent virus beyond 10 days that may warrant extending the duration of isolation and precautions for up to 20 days after symptom onset.
• Severely immunocompromised patients* may produce replication-competent virus beyond 20 days and require additional testing and consultation with infectious disease specialist to determine the appropriate duration of isolation and precautions.

For people who are asymptomatic (never develop symptoms):

• Isolation and precautions can be discontinued 10 days after the first positive viral test.

Contact: Mark Kepner-Clough, mkepner-clough@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8383 ext. 125