PSA - go to the source!!

[dreamshark]

 The CDC finally updated their guidance on isolation/quarantine for COVID, a move that was long overdue. But to their credit, the new guidelines are presented on the CDC site in a set of clear and concise bullet points. Isolation guidelines (for people who test positive for COVID-19) are:

• Stay home for 5 days.
• If you have no symptoms or your symptoms are resolving after 5 days, you can leave your house.
• Continue to wear a mask around others for 5 additional days.
• If you have a fever, continue to stay home until your fever resolves.

Pretty straightforward, right? But astoundingly, every major news source that I follow has proven incapable of repeating this information correctly. The headline in the Washington Post reads, "CDC cuts isolation time recommended for people with asymptomatic coronavirus infections," which is absolutely not what the CDC said!  An asymptomatic infection is one where the patient never develops symptoms. The actual CDC guidance clearly covers mild to moderate cases and never uses the widely misunderstood term "asymptomatic." The NPR  report made the same mistake, but was even more explicit about saying, "People who are infected without developing symptoms." MPR just parroted NPR. The Star Tribune got the "symptoms are resolving" part correct but managed to mix up the definitions of isolation and quarantine (which are clearly defined on the CDC site). Infuriating and disappointing. This wasn't that difficult a story, guys!

Anyway, if you are in a situation where you need to know what the actual guidance is, ignore everything you read or hear in the news media and go right to the source. And that is my Public Service Announcement for today.

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