On Thursday, August 11, 2022, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) took a step back from some of their initial precautions set regarding the coronavirus disease. The CDC explained, “With so many tools available to us for reducing COVID-19 severity, there is significantly less risk of severe illness, hospitalization, and death compared to earlier in the pandemic.”
The C.D.C.’s new guidelines come after more than two years of a pandemic in which more than one million Americans have died, with the highly contagious BA.5 subvariant of Omicron still spreading.
Although, many Americans have already dropped these practices such as social distancing, quarantine, and mask-wearing long ago. Michael T. Osterholm, an infectious disease expert at the University of Minnesota, refers to the C.D.C. when saying, “I think they are attempting to meet up with the reality that everyone in the public is pretty much done with this pandemic.”
It’s important to note that the CDC still recognizes that COVID-19 is continuing to circulate across the globe, but believes this new guidance will help us move to a point where this virus isn’t disrupting our daily lives. The agency is still promoting the significance of staying up-to-date on your vaccinations, continuing testing when appropriate, and following specific isolation procedures when necessary. You can find all of their recommendations here.
Even with these new guidelines, the CDC’s main priority is to continue to focus on preventing severe illness and post-COVID conditions while ensuring everyone has the information and tools they need to lower their risk.
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