COVID-19 Prevention Methods
Monitoring COVID-19 Neighborhood Ranges to information COVID-19 prevention efforts. Individuals can use details about the present degree of COVID-19 affect on their neighborhood to determine which prevention behaviors to make use of and when (always or at particular occasions), based mostly on their very own danger for extreme sickness and that of members of their family, their danger tolerance, and setting-specific elements. CDC’s COVID-19 Neighborhood Ranges mirror the present impact of COVID-19 on communities and establish geographic areas that may expertise will increase in extreme COVID-19–associated outcomes, based mostly on hospitalization charges, hospital mattress occupancy, and COVID-19 incidence throughout the previous interval*** (1). Prevention suggestions based mostly on COVID-19 Neighborhood Ranges have the express targets of decreasing medically important sickness and limiting pressure on the well being care system. In any respect COVID-19 Neighborhood Ranges (low, medium, and excessive), suggestions emphasize staying updated with vaccination, bettering air flow, testing individuals who’re symptomatic and people who have been uncovered, and isolating contaminated individuals. On the medium COVID-19 Neighborhood Degree, really useful methods embody including protections for individuals who’re at excessive danger for extreme sickness (e.g., use of masks or respirators that present the next degree of wearer safety). On the excessive COVID-19 Neighborhood Degree, extra suggestions deal with all individuals sporting masks indoors in public and additional rising safety to populations at excessive danger.††† As SARS-CoV-2 continues to flow into, adjustments in COVID-19 Neighborhood Ranges for a jurisdiction assist sign when use of some prevention methods must be discontinued or elevated, based mostly on a person particular person’s degree of danger for extreme sickness or that of their family or social contacts. The COVID-19 Neighborhood Ranges present a broad framework for public well being officers and jurisdictions to make use of and adapt as wanted based mostly on native context by combining native info to evaluate the necessity for public well being interventions.
Nonpharmaceutical interventions. Implementation of a number of prevention methods helps shield particular person individuals and communities from SARS-CoV-2 publicity and scale back danger for medically important sickness and dying by decreasing danger for an infection (Table). Implementation of a number of nonpharmaceutical preventive interventions can complement use of vaccines and therapeutics, particularly as COVID-19 Neighborhood Ranges improve and amongst individuals at excessive danger for extreme sickness. CDC’s COVID-19 prevention suggestions not differentiate based mostly on an individual’s vaccination standing as a result of breakthrough infections happen, although they’re typically gentle (16), and individuals who’ve had COVID-19 however usually are not vaccinated have a point of safety towards extreme sickness from their earlier an infection (17). Along with methods really useful in any respect COVID-19 Neighborhood Ranges, training and messaging to assist particular person individuals perceive their danger for medically important sickness enhances suggestions for prevention methods based mostly on danger.
Testing for present an infection. Diagnostic testing can establish infections early in order that contaminated individuals can take motion to cut back their danger for transmitting virus and obtain remedy, if clinically indicated, to cut back their danger for extreme sickness and dying. All individuals ought to search testing for energetic an infection when they’re symptomatic or if they’ve a recognized or suspected publicity to somebody with COVID-19. When contemplating whether or not and the place to implement screening testing of asymptomatic individuals with no recognized publicity, public well being officers would possibly contemplate prioritizing high-risk congregate settings, equivalent to long-term care amenities, homeless shelters, and correctional amenities, and office settings that embody congregate housing with restricted entry to medical care.§§§ In most of these high-risk congregate settings, screening testing would possibly complement diagnostic testing of symptomatic individuals by figuring out asymptomatic contaminated individuals (18,19). When applied, screening testing methods ought to embody all individuals, regardless of vaccination standing. Screening testing won’t be cost-effective normally neighborhood settings, particularly if COVID-19 prevalence is low (20,21).
Isolation. Symptomatic or contaminated individuals ought to isolate promptly, and contaminated individuals ought to stay in isolation for ≥5 days and put on a well-fitting and high-quality masks or respirator in the event that they have to be round others. Contaminated individuals might finish isolation after 5 days, solely when they’re with no fever for ≥24 hours with out using medicine and all different signs have improved, and they need to proceed to put on a masks or respirator round others at residence and in public via day 10¶¶¶ (Figure) (22,23). Individuals who’ve entry to antigen checks and who select to make use of testing to find out after they can discontinue masking ought to wait to take the primary take a look at till at the least day 6 and they’re with no fever for ≥24 hours with out using fever-reducing medicine and all different signs have improved. Use of two antigen checks with ≥48 hours between checks gives extra dependable info due to improved take a look at sensitivity (24). Two consecutive take a look at outcomes have to be damaging for individuals to discontinue masking. If both take a look at result’s constructive, individuals ought to proceed to put on a masks round others and proceed testing each 48 hours till they’ve two sequential damaging outcomes.****
Managing SARS-CoV-2 exposures. CDC now recommends case investigation and speak to tracing solely in well being care settings and sure high-risk congregate settings.†††† In all different circumstances, public well being efforts can deal with case notification and provision of knowledge and assets to uncovered individuals about entry to testing. Individuals who’ve had latest confirmed or suspected publicity to an contaminated particular person ought to put on a masks for 10 days round others when indoors in public and may obtain testing ≥5 days after publicity (or sooner, if they’re symptomatic), regardless of their vaccination standing.§§§§ In gentle of excessive inhabitants ranges of anti–SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence (7,16), and to restrict social and financial impacts, quarantine of uncovered individuals is not really useful, no matter vaccination standing.
