Mass. physician explains why CDC is rethinking COVID-19 isolation

WANTS. FIVE ON YOUR HEALTH NOW. RETHINKING THE RULE ABOUT ISOLATING AFTER COVID 19 INFECTION. HERE TO TALK ABOUT THAT IS DOCTOR TODD ELLERIN, CHIEF OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES AT SOUTH SHORE HEALTH. GOOD TO SEE YOU, DOCTOR. HEY DOCTOR, IT’S GREAT TO SEE YOU TOO. SO SO ACCORDING TO THE WASHINGTON POST, THE CDC WANTS TO BRING THE COVID GUIDELINES IN LINE WITH WHAT IT RECOMMENDS. FOR EXAMPLE, LIKE OTHER RESPIRATORY VIRUSES SUCH AS THE FLU. AND SO, SO IN YOUR EYES AND YOUR PROFESSIONAL OPINION, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? RIGHT. SO WHAT THAT MEANS WITH INFLUENZA OR RSV, WE GENERALLY SAY ONCE YOU NO LONGER HAVE A FEVER FOR 24 HOURS OFF FEVER REDUCING AGENTS, YOU CAN GO BACK TO SCHOOL, YOU CAN GO BACK TO WORK. SO IT WOULD BE BRINGING COVID IN LINE WITH THOSE OTHER VIRUSES. SO DOCTOR, WHY DO YOU THINK THE CDC IS CHANGING ITS ADVICE? WELL, LET’S FACE IT MARIA. I MEAN, THE QUESTION IS, ARE THEY REALLY SETTING NEW GUIDELINES OR ARE THEY JUST CATCHING UP WITH THE REALITY OF WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE UNITED STATES? HOW MANY OF US ARE TESTING WHEN WE HAVE A RESPIRATORY ILLNESS RIGHT NOW? HOW MANY OF US ARE TRULY ISOLATING FOR FIVE DAYS BEFORE WE GO BACK TO SCHOOL OR WORK? I THINK IN MANY WAYS IT’S CATCHING UP WITH THE REALITY THAT WE’VE BEEN LIVING WITH COVID FOR, YOU KNOW, OVER FOUR YEARS, AND THERE’S BEEN A LOT CIRCULATING. AND, YOU KNOW, FORTUNATELY, WE HAVE BETTER POPULATION IMMUNITY. SO I THINK A LOT OF IT IS CATCHING UP TO WHAT WE’RE DOING. WHEN YOU CONSIDER THAT DOCTOR T, IT IS OVER FOUR YEARS, WHICH IS KIND OF AMAZING. SO I KNOW THAT YOU TRACK EVERYTHING EVERY DAY AND WHAT ONE, ONE CLEAR INDICATOR IS WASTEWATER. ARE YOU WATCHING THAT CLOSELY? SO I’M GOING TO ASK YOU A SERIES OF QUESTIONS HERE. FIRST OF ALL WHERE IS THE THE WASTEWATER READ NOW. RIGHT. I MEAN, WE STILL HAVE SIGNIFICANT LEVELS, BUT IT’S MUCH LESS THAN THE PEAK IN JANUARY THREE IF YOU LOOK BACK AT THE THREE JAN DIARIES, THAT’S WHEN COVID WASTEWATER TENDS TO PEAK. SO, YOU KNOW, MY GUESS IS IT’S GOING TO CONTINUE TO GO DOWN. WELL, YOU ANTICIPATED WHERE I WAS GOING TO GO PROFESSIONALLY. DO YOU THINK THAT WHAT DIRECTION DO YOU THINK IT’S GOING IN, AT LEAST IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS? YOU KNOW, I DO THINK IT’S GOING TO GO DOWN. AND BUT ONE THING I WANT TO GET BACK TO THE GUIDANCE, ONE THING THAT’S IMPORTANT. REMEMBER, CDC HAS NOT CHANGED ITS GUIDANCE YET. SO WE’RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO HAVE OUR CURRENT ISOLATION GUIDANCE THROUGH THIS RESPIRATORY SEASON. BUT I DO THINK, UM, WHEN THEY COME OUT WITH THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS, WE WANT TO READ IT CLOSELY. AND, AND WE WE’RE GOING TO HAVE TO MAKE MORE PERSONAL DECISIONS. WHEN DO WE GO BACK? DO WE GO BACK WITH MASKING. ARE THEY STILL GOING TO RECOMMEND IF YOU HAVE COVID EARLY ON? AND I DO WANT TO MAKE ONE POINT ABOUT THE VOLUME PEOPLE AND THE ELDERLY. YOU KNOW, THIS CAN BE DIFFICULT TO HEAR. AND I’M REALLY, YOU KNOW, FEELING FOR FOR THEM. IF YOU’RE IN A POSITION OF VULNERABILITY, WHICH IS NOT MOST PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY, BUT IT CAN BE HARD WHEN YOU HEAR THAT IT’S POSSIBLE THAT MORE PEOPLE WILL GO BACK EARLY ON. BUT I THINK IT’S ALREADY HAPPENING. ALL RIGHT. DOCTOR TOD