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www.nytimes.com/2021/12/27/us/quarantine-5-days.html
The C.D.C. shortened isolation periods as Omicron cases soared.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday shortened by half the isolation period for people who contract the coronavirus, saying that just five days after their positive test results those without symptoms could safely resume mixing with others.
That replaced previous guidance from the agency that infected patients isolate for 10 days. The agency cited growing evidence that the virus is most contagious in the two days before and three days after symptoms develop. People with symptoms after five days are encouraged to remain at home.
The new guidance was announced as the highly transmissible Omicron variant is sending daily caseloads soaring, forcing airlines to cancel thousands of flights and cities to scuttle or scale back New Year’s Eve celebrations and threatening industries as diverse as health care, restaurants and retail.
“The Omicron variant is spreading quickly and has the potential to impact all facets of our society,” said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the director of the C.D.C. The new recommendations “balance what we know about the spread of the virus and the protection provided by vaccination and booster doses. These updates ensure people can safely continue their daily lives.”
Health officials also said that uninfected Americans who had received booster shots did not need to quarantine after exposure to the virus.
The C.D.C. has been criticized for shifting guidance and mixed messaging. Last week, the agency recommended that health care workers who are asymptomatic return to work after just seven days and a negative test, adding that “isolation time can be cut further if there are staffing shortages.”
States, cities and employers can choose whether to follow the C.D.C.’s guidance. In New York State, which has reported record levels of cases and surging hospitalizations, major hospitals recently changed isolation protocols for vaccinated employees.
Some places are reporting their worst caseloads of pandemic. Delaware, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Puerto Rico have reported more coronavirus cases in the past week than in any other seven-day period, data show.
The numbers point to the ease with which Omicron is spreading across the United States, even as some studies from overseas suggest that the variant might cause less severe illness. Experts warn that the surge of infections, combined with the fact that tens of millions of Americans remain unvaccinated, could still create a severe strain on the U.S. health system and lead to many more deaths.
On Sunday, the seven-day national average of new daily cases surpassed 214,000, an 83 percent jump over the past 14 days. Deaths also increased by 3 percent to a seven-day average of 1,328, according to a New York Times database. Holiday interruptions to data reporting may have affected those daily case totals.
The national record for average daily cases is 251,232, set in January during a post-holiday surge.
Hospitalizations are up, too, although not as much as cases. Nearly 72,000 Americans are hospitalized with Covid-19, an 8 percent increase over two weeks but still just over half of peak levels.
From Dec. 5, there has been a fourfold increase of Covid hospital admissions among children in New York City, where the new variant is spreading rapidly, the New York State Department of Health said in an advisory. About half were under 5, and not eligible for vaccination.
Elective surgeries were put on pause at many hospitals after New York’s governor, Kathy Hochul, declared a state of emergency this month.
Government data show that vaccination is still a strong protector against severe illness from Omicron.
Still, only 62 percent of Americans are fully vaccinated, and the nation’s medical infrastructure is dangerously frayed two years into the pandemic as hospitals contend with staff shortages fueled by burnout and early retirements. Speaking on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the government’s top infectious-disease expert, said: “When you have such a high volume of new infections, it might override a real diminution in severity.”
Data out of South Africa and some European countries suggest that Omicron infections have been milder and are producing fewer hospitalizations. But experts warn that might not be true everywhere, adding that the surge in cases may still flood hospitals in many countries.
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Biden says there are no plans to shorten Covid-19 isolation period for everyone
President Biden told reporters Friday, December 24, there are no plans to shorten the isolation period for everyone testing positive for Covid-19.
Some context: The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is shortening the isolation time for health care workers who test positive for Covid-19, as it anticipates a surge in hospitalizations due to the Omicron variant.
The agency's new guidelines say health care workers with Covid-19 may return to work after seven days if they are asymptomatic and test negative, and that the "isolation time can be cut further if there are staffing shortages," according to a statement Thursday.
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news.yahoo.com/white-house-press-secretary-expresses-regr...
While briefing the press at the White House on Dec. 6, Psaki scoffed when a reporter asked why the Biden administration had not made at-home coronavirus test kits available for free to all Americans, as the United Kingdom and Singapore have done.
“Should we just send one to every American?” Psaki asked sarcastically. “Then what happens if you — if every American has one test? How much does that cost, and then what happens after that?”
Isolation - Pigs Lane - 11 Jan 2009
Update Nov 5th 2010... Title says everything. Wish I had done a better R though.
believe it or not but I use to sleep when I was homeless. The LA river is home to many homeless individuals who do their best to stay out the way. Like Jenny and Joy, Two Black women in their late 70's.
One night I stumbled upon this bridge. it was getting late and It felt safe. After the sunset I sat down against the railing. Soon after I began vomiting. I'd just finished chemotherapy that morning. I was sick all day, but the very thing I wanted was the cops bothering me.
"Are you high or sick young man" I told here I had cancer and just wanted to be out the way. "I'm sorry if I bothered you. I'll move on"
"You'll do not such thing. You gonna put these boots on and come with me, so you are safe tonight." She wasn't taking no for an answer.
We walked down to the river the made our way through to the makeshift area they called home. It solar light, propane stove lights and heaters.
I stayed with them every night for over a month. they made sure I ate and once went with me to my chemo appointment. They were twin sisters who once worked for the Army Corps of Engineers.
I developed an infection and had to be in the hospital for about two months. when I returned they were gone. Not a trace of them left. I asked other homeless people and they told me "After the got you to the hospital Joy took sick and died. Jenny took care of her to the end. Then Jenny took sick and died bout two weeks ago."
They told me how disrespectfully the city came in and trashed their belongings. I sat on the waters edge and just cried. sat there for two days.
About a month later I met my close friend Carlos who lived in the area. He invited me over for dinner and then we all went for a walk across this bridge.
Today we went to a place called maple park in taichung and ride bikes around. As the sun was lower in the sky in around the afternoon it provided a great back light against all the plants. Im very happy with this picture, in contrast with yesterday where I wasn't happy with any of my pictures.
"Isolation"
Saguaro National Park, Arizona
0112-1-0908
Desert scene in Saguaro National Park during late winter/early spring. Spring flowers were beginning to sprout and the desert was experiencing its annual green aura on its floor. I captured this shot an hour after sunrise.
This is a handheld, three-shot HDR image. Processed in Photomatix Pro and Lightroom. Press "L" to view on black.
I have added a sepia tone to this image alongside taking it at an angle to help me to achieve isolation