Top in ID: New COVID-19 isolation guidance; booster shots for older adults

The CDC updated its COVID-19 isolation guidance for the first time in 2 years, saying that people with COVID-19 no longer have to isolate for 5 days if they are showing certain signs of improvement.

The change in guidance also pertains to other respiratory diseases like influenza and respiratory syncytial virus.

The new update “reflects the progress we have made in protecting against severe illness from COVID-19,” according to CDC Director Mandy K. Cohen, MD, MPH.

In a perspective for Healio, Amesh A. Adalja, MD, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, “welcomed” the change and explained that the virus no longer threatens hospital capacity.

It was the top story in infectious disease last week.

In another top story, the CDC recommended a spring COVID-19 vaccine booster shot for adults aged 65 years or older.

The “recommendation allows older adults to receive an additional dose of this season’s COVID-19 vaccine to provide added protection,” Cohen said in a statement.

“An additional vaccine dose can provide added protection that may have decreased over time for those at highest risk,” she added.

Read these and more top stories in infectious disease below:

CDC: People with COVID-19 no longer have to isolate for 5 days

The CDC said Friday that people with COVID-19 no longer have to isolate for 5 days if they are showing certain signs of improvement — the first time in more than 2 years that the guidance has been updated. Read more.

CDC recommends spring COVID-19 booster shot for older adults

The CDC on Wednesday recommended a spring COVID-19 vaccine booster shot for adults aged 65 years or older. Read more.

Sinks located in newly constructed ICU rooms contaminated quickly

After the construction of two ICUs, researchers found that contamination with carbapenem-resistant organisms of the in-room sinks happened quickly. Read more.

Mortality rates return to pre-COVID-19 ‘normal’ for most groups in the US

Mortality in the United States has returned to pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels for the most part, but several groups continue to experience disparities that existed before March 2020, according to a study. Read more.

Fungal infections can turn deadly — improving awareness is ‘vital’

In January, the CDC warned physicians to be cautious when prescribing topical antifungals in light of the recent detection of antimicrobial-resistant superficial fungal infections in the United States. Read more.