Medical Reserve Corps reflects on new CDC recommendations

News from VashonBePrepared

March 14, 2024 1:30 am
Preparing a disaster victim for transport: A class of 16 new Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) students finished up their nine-week basic training course recently. In this hands-on first aid exercise, the team practices applying a splint to “victim” Dick Danielson with a knee injury. From left to right: Marie Koltchak and Denis Snow do their work under the watchful eye of CERT veteran Sharon Danielson (Courtesy photo).
Preparing a disaster victim for transport: A class of 16 new Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) students finished up their nine-week basic training course recently. In this hands-on first aid exercise, the team practices applying a splint to “victim” Dick Danielson with a knee injury. From left to right: Marie Koltchak and Denis Snow do their work under the watchful eye of CERT veteran Sharon Danielson (Courtesy photo).

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently announced two major COVID recommendations.

  1. The CDC has joined California and Oregon in reducing the length of recommended isolation before people return to work and other activities.
  2. The CDC says everyone 65 years and older should get a booster — a second dose of the vaccine that was released last fall.

Vashon Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) believes the reduced isolation guideline makes it especially important to follow the recommendation for booster vaccination. Advice from the MRC can help you make decisions about isolation and vaccination.

Isolation Guidelines Details

The CDC dropped its recommended COVID isolation period from five days to one. The CDC guidelines still urge people to help avoid spreading COVID infections. If you have symptoms:

  • Stay home until your symptoms are improving.
  • Stay home until it’s been 24 hours since you had a fever without the aid of medicines (ibuprofen, acetaminophen, aspirin) to reduce fever.
  • When going back to work or school, wear a quality, well-fitting mask (such as an N95 or KN95), wash your hands frequently, keep your distance from others, and test to understand whether you are still infectious before being around others indoors.

Prior CDC isolation guidelines for workers at nursing homes and other healthcare facilities remain in place. Medical personnel should stay home at least seven days after symptoms first appear.

The decision to reduce the isolation period takes into account the fact that circumstances have improved since the early days of the pandemic. According to the CDC, 98% of Americans now have some degree of protection because they have been previously vaccinated or had COVID. Therefore, COVID has not been causing as many hospitalizations and deaths as it did earlier in the pandemic.

However, it’s important to keep in mind that COVID has not gone away. Over the past six months, more than 100 people per week have been hospitalized in King County due to COVID, and one in 25 of those died. Nationally, there are still more than 20,000 hospitalizations and 2,000 deaths per week.

Even so, in the U.S. COVID has dropped to tenth on the list of causes of death.

The new guidelines for shorter isolation synchronize the CDC’s recommendations for COVID with those for flu and RSV, reflecting public behavior but not the science recognizing that many people were not following the five-day isolation recommendation.

In California, for example, there was little change in COVID hospitalization and death rates when the recommended isolation period was shortened. Because people were not following the five-day isolation recommendation, shortening it to one day had little impact on public health statistics.

It is important to recognize that this reflects a failure of implementation of the five-day isolation policy rather than a failure of the policy’s merit. There remains little question that if you get COVID and isolate for five days regardless of symptoms, you are less likely to infect others.

Additional COVID Vaccination for 65+

CDC Director Mandy Cohen summed up the CDC vaccination recommendation like this: “Most COVID deaths and hospitalizations last year were among people 65 years and older. An additional vaccine dose can provide added protection that may have decreased over time for those at highest risk.”

The committee also recommended an additional shot for those at particularly high risk from COVID. Here’s a CDC page with some details on weakened immune systems.

The decision to recommend a booster for people 65 years and older comes out of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), a CDC external scientific committee of experts. During the ACIP meeting, there was debate about the wording. An early draft said 65+ individuals “may” get the additional vaccination. However, during deliberations, ACIP opted for stronger wording, saying people 65+ “should” get the additional vaccination. That stronger wording was endorsed by the CDC and guarantees insurance coverage for the booster.

  • If you recently had COVID, the CDC recommends waiting three months before getting your booster.
  • If you have not had COVID recently, it’s a good idea to get your booster vaccination this spring or summer, to allow at least four months before getting the expected updated COVID vaccine in the fall.
  • You might consider getting a COVID booster two weeks before travel or at a time when COVID incidence is increasing in our community.

Advice from Vashon MRC

As we all go forward with new CDC guidelines for isolation and vaccination, the Medical Reserve Corps experts offer some Vashon-specific advice.

“There’s only one way for someone to get COVID. They get it from another person,” points out Dr. Zach Miller, a Medical Reserve Corps volunteer who specializes in infectious diseases. “That means a personal decision about isolation or vaccination has an impact on our Vashon community. You can increase or decrease your chances of contracting COVID or giving it to someone else by weighing your choices against their consequences.”

  • According to the CDC, 84% of patients hospitalized for COVID are older than 50. On Vashon, our population’s median age is 54. So, if you have COVID and are thinking about mingling, remember that more than half of our community is at risk.
  • On a personal level, you might shrug off a positive COVID test if you are younger. But you should consider staying home if you are invited to a party or some other gathering with older people.
  • What about your kids? If one of them has sniffles, it’s a good idea to do a home COVID test (repeated 48 hours later if negative) to see if they could spread the disease to loved ones or classmates. That will give you a solid basis for making a safe decision for those around you.
  • Staying home for a few days may be of little concern for you, but it’s well-known that COVID hits hardest for those of lesser means. Many low-wage employees have few benefits and missing work due to illness can create a significant financial hardship.
  • The CDC guidance makes strong references to fever and other symptoms. However, about 40% of all COVID patients have no symptoms. Even if you are asymptomatic, Vashon MRC suggests that follow the isolation guidelines if you test positive for COVID. You can time your isolation and decide about mingling with others based on when you get a negative test.
  • We know that many COVID infections are contracted during travel. When you return home, it’s good to do home tests twice, about 48 hours apart, especially if you develop any COVID-like symptoms.