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upstart writes:

CDC cuts isolation, quarantine time for health workers as omicron cases surge:

Doctors, nurses and other staff who test positive for covid-19 can more quickly return to work under recommendations issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday, as short-staffed hospitals brace for a winter surge of cases.

According to the CDC's new guidance, health workers who contract the coronavirus but are asymptomatic can return to work after seven days with a negative test. "[T]hat isolation time can be cut further if there are staffing shortages," CDC wrote. Previously, the agency had recommended that infected health workers isolate for at least 10 days to reduce the risk of spreading the virus.

CDC shortens recommend quarantine duration, with restrictions:

On Monday, officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lowered the amount of time that Americans with COVID-19 need to spend in isolation, reducing guidance from 10 days to five, provided they aren't experiencing symptoms and stay masked around other people for an additional five days. The quarantine guidance for anyone exposed to the virus received the same revision.

[...] Booster shots of Pfizer and Moderna have been shown to be effective in protecting against the variant, with CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky saying that the organization was considering revising the definition of "fully vaccinated" to include booster shots.

The important distinction in the new guidance is that infected people are free of symptoms and remain masked around other people.

Original Submission