Washington Jan 2 (BUS): With the COVID-19 omicron variable on the rise across the United States, top federal health officials are looking to add a negative test alongside five-day isolation restrictions for asymptomatic Americans who contract the coronavirus. The White House’s chief medical advisor said on Sunday.
Dr. Anthony Fauci said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is now considering including a negative test as part of its guidelines, according to an AP report.
Under this December 27 directive, isolation restrictions for people with COVID-19 have been shortened from 10 days to five days if they no longer have symptoms or have a fever. After this period, they are required to spend the next five days wearing a mask when they are near others.
Fauci, the country’s top infectious disease expert, said the US is seeing an almost “vertical increase” in new cases, now averaging 400,000 cases per day, with hospitalizations also rising.
“We are definitely in the midst of a very sharp rise in the number of cases,” he said. “The acceleration of cases we’ve seen is unprecedented, and it has gone far beyond anything we’ve seen before.”
Fauci said he was concerned that the omicron variant overwhelmed the health care system and caused “significant disruption” to other essential services.
He urged Americans who have not yet been vaccinated to do so and to stay indoors to protect themselves and reduce the current increase in the number of cases in the United States.
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