Making Sense of CDC Covid
If you are confused about the always changing recommendations from the CDC regarding Covid you are not alone. Of course with a new virus that is evolving, the guidelines for safety should also evolve. Hopefully this will help clarify a really muddled topic and also gives some science to help you make the right decisions for yourself.
Five days isolation for Covid Infection- Omicron infection lasts, on average, 8-10 days. Peak infectiousness is around day 4-5. It doesn't make sense to me to end isolation when a person is most infectious but that's what the CDC has said. They should have said "end isolation at 5 days if you have a negative Covid test". If the test is still positive, you should stay home until at least day 8 and longer if you feel sick. This guideline also hurts workers who aren't completely well and are made to return to work. It puts everyone at higher risk.
Fully Vaccinated is primary series plus a booster - If you don't have a booster, you are not up-to-date with vaccines. This is non-negotiable in terms of the science. The vaccine saves lives. Lots of them. We are unfortunately still losing 450 people a day to Covid, but the great majority of infections now are mild and that's because of the vaccine. But vaccines aren't perfect and that is why we need to continue isolations and masks when infection is raging in a community.
If you want to avoid Covid (and we all should) there are many things to do. Wear a masks in crowded indoor public spaces. (My guidelines would be outdoor wedding-no. Subway or mass transit- yes. Crowded Costco-yes. Uncrowded Costco with lots of aisle room-no ) Make sure your family is up-to-date with vaccines. Make sure you are getting 7-8 hours of sleep at night. Eat 5 fruits and vegetables a day. (a big salad counts as 2). Make sure your vitamin D level is at least 40ng/ml. and get sunshine each day.
We all need to be thinking of our immune system and strengthening it consciously. There are other vitamins and supplements that have data to support their use. But first we must start with food and healthy habits. Food is medicine.
You can get free Covid tests sent to your home by going to Covidtests.gov
