How far can you spread Omicron?

If the Covid-19 test is positive, we recommend quarantining somewhere between 5 days and 2 weeks. It all depends on where you live.

The United States and the United Kingdom have reduced the recommended period of self-quarantine for asymptomatic people. More countries may soon follow, as highly contagious variants of Omicron threaten to keep hospital staff and other key workers home.

In the United States, people can do it now Isolate if no symptoms appear after 5 days, Then for 5 days, you need to wear a mask around others. Last week, the UK shortened the period by 7 days for those who test two consecutive negative lateral flows.

This is in the midst of record cases in both countries and is the first to show that since the advent of Omicron, major countries have deviated from the 10-day quarantine period recommended by the World Health Organization.

However, most countries still follow the 10-day marker, while other countries, such as Germany, alone require up to 14 days. Due to inequality, some people wonder when and for how long they have been infected with the Omicron variant.

This move was made in the face of concerns about the availability of key workers. “If you are asymptomatic and infected, we want to bring people back to their jobs, especially those who do important jobs, and keep our society running smoothly.” Says Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases. I told CNN this week.

But there is also some new data behind the changes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are motivated by the science that their decision “mostly SARS-CoV-2 infections occur early in the disease, generally 1-2 days before the onset of symptoms. “. 2-3 days later. “

Ann Early CDC studiesA study of Omicron clusters in Nebraska, released on Tuesday, found that the time from exposure to infection, known as the incubation period, could be about 3 days. This is shorter than the Delta strain, which is estimated to have an incubation period of 4 days, according to studies.

Similar studies The results of the Norwegian Christmas party, which infected dozens of people, were comparable.

Dr. Megan Ranney, director of public health at Brown University, said on Tuesday, “There is evidence that vaccinated people are very unlikely to get infected after about 5-7 days if they are asymptomatic. It has been done. “

New evidence that Omicron may be less severe than Delta may have also influenced this move.

However, the new guidelines still encourage some controversy in the medical community, and experts do not yet fully understand Omicron.

“If you haven’t been vaccinated, the data that you’ll be non-infectious after 5 days isn’t really backed up,” Ranney said. “I am very worried about these new recommendations.”

She suggested providing different guidance to unvaccinated people until more data arrived.

Erin Bromage, a professor of biology at UMass Dartmouth, added at CNN Wednesday that “there is no data I know” to support switching guidance.

He added that the antigen test can be positive 7 or 8 days after the first test, even if there are no symptoms. Unlike the UK, which is richer in antigen testing, US guidance does not rely on getting negative results.

Nonetheless, Omicron is destroying the workforce in some countries, and if hospital burdens increase, more countries may shorten the New Year’s quarantine period. “There are a huge amount of new cases … One thing we want to be aware of is that there aren’t that many people,” Fauci said.

You asked. We answered.

Three preprinted papers released last week revealed some early good news about the severity of the Omicron mutant.

The study (one in the United Kingdom, one in Scotland, the third in South Africa) was conducted by Omicron. Lower risk of hospitalization than delta type.. The degree to which the risk was reduced ranged from 40% to 80% throughout the study.

The study contains preliminary data and the paper has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal. However, they are increasing evidence that the new strains are highly contagious but may not be as serious.

Nevertheless, the low risk of hospitalization can easily be offset by the high number of co-infections that Omicron is causing in some countries. Therefore, experts are calling attention. And we recommend that people who haven’t taken vaccines or boosters take it before Omicron has settled.

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This week’s reading

How to tell if it’s a covid, a flu, or a cold

Do you have a sore throat, runny nose or muscle aches? It can be a common cold, flu, or Covid-19.

All illnesses share similar symptoms and it can be difficult to distinguish the cause of exposure to the weather.

Case rates for Covid-19 increase as Omicron variants spread, but hospitalizations appear to remain relatively low. Evidence suggests that infection with this mutant does not appear to be severe to vaccinated people. I told CNN.

“The important thing to remember is that vaccines are like calling the immune system to” keep an eye “. As a result, each additional vaccine is given a much higher ability to identify, target, and destroy the virus, “says El-Sayed.

“If you are vaccinated, it makes sense that the symptoms you experience are mild.” But it should take infections seriously, especially when considering the risks of the overwhelming health care system. It doesn’t mean there isn’t, he added.

Many Latin American countries now have higher immunization rates than Europe and North America

Many Latin American countries were hit by a surge in Covid-19 mortality early in the pandemic as the coronavirus raged across the region.

Today, in many Latin American countries, vaccination rates are surpassing those in Europe and North America, and the trend is changing to help reduce deaths. Tim Lister writes.

Vaccine deployment was slow at first, and getting the vaccine was the only major issue. Just six months ago, Latin America and the Caribbean reported less than half of all Covid-19-related deaths worldwide.

According to the latest data from Johns Hopkins University, the region now accounts for about 10% of Covid-19-related deaths worldwide. According to data from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), this is due to the rapid delivery of European, American, Chinese, and homemade vaccines received by many Latin American countries later this year.

One of the reasons for the success of these vaccination campaigns can be traced to history. In many countries in Latin America, there is a long-standing and reliable national vaccination driving force for other diseases such as polio.

Omicron causes a Christmas trip nightmare

Thousands of flights Canceled this week The number of Covid cases is increasing all over the world.

On Wednesday, more than 2,000 trips were canceled, following a large number of trips during the holidays. Of the more than 2,800 flights canceled on Monday, approximately 1,000 were in, or outside the United States, according to FlightAware.

About 11,000 flights are delayed. Worldwide, airlines have canceled more than 6,000 flights on Christmas Eve, Christmas, and the day after Christmas. In the United States, more than 1,200 flights were canceled on Sunday alone, more than 5,000 were delayed, and staff and crew members complained of illness.

Cancellations occur during the busiest time of air travel. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said it screened millions of people daily on holiday weekends, peaking at 2.19 million travelers on Thursday, December 23.

On Wednesday, more people passed the TSA checkpoint than on the same day in 2019.

Top tip

It’s time to upgrade the mask

As variants of the Omicron coronavirus continue to prevail, some experts say it’s a thing of the past to revisit face mask options. Especially if you are still wearing a cloth mask.

“Cloth masks are just facial decorations. There is no place for them in the light of Omicron,” said CNN Medical, an emergency doctor at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health and a visiting professor of health policy and management. Analyst Dr. Linawen said.

Ideally, in crowded areas, “you should wear a KN95 or N95 mask,” Wen added.

These masks fit better and certain materials, such as polypropylene fibers, act as mechanical and electrostatic barriers to better prevent small particles from entering the nose and mouth and function properly. Must fit on the face for.

Please check this out for details.

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