Top in ID: CDC’s updated quarantine guidance, impact of COVID-19 on polio response
The CDC recently announced changes to its quarantine guidance. The agency now recommends that asymptomatic people with COVID-19 isolate for 5 days, followed by 5 days of mask wearing around others.
Amesh A. Adalja, MD, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, said the updated recommendations reflect the virus’ new status as endemic. A review of the new guidance was the top story in infectious disease last week.
Another top story was a Q&A with Mary M. Alleman, PhD, an epidemiologist in the CDC’s Global Immunization Division, which explored how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted efforts to eradicate polio.
Read these and more top stories in infectious disease below:
CDC halves recommended isolation time to 5 days if asymptomatic
In updated guidance, the CDC said that asymptomatic people with COVID-19 can isolate for 5 days instead of 10, followed by 5 days of wearing a mask around other people. Read more.
Q&A: COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact polio response
A new report highlighted the COVID-19 pandemic’s ongoing impact on efforts to eradicate polio. Read more.
Early remdesivir for COVID-19 lowers hospitalization, death risk by 87%
An early 3-day course of remdesivir lowered the risk for hospitalization or death among nonhospitalized patients at high risk for severe COVID-19 by 87%, according to a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine. Read more.
Non-COVID approvals and guidance you may have missed in 2021
Unsurprisingly, many of our most-read stories in 2021 were about the COVID-19 pandemic. Stories about COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics were popular, especially those dealing with approvals, authorizations or recommendations. Read more.
Novel community-based chlamydia screening program for young Black men is cost-effective
A novel community-based chlamydia screening program meant to reach young Black men in New Orleans proved to be cost-effective, according to a recent modeling study. Read more.