While the US President is urging people to stay calm amid increase of coronavirus cases, US health authorities have recommended reducing the isolation time for people with asymptomatic Covid.
Looking at the Christmas celebrations all over the country, experts had urged people to stay indoors and avoid parties and other large gatherings to avoid rapid spread of coronavirus.
Also read | US prepared for Omicron wave, some hospitals may be ‘overrun’: Biden
Meanwhile, Joe Biden warned people that looking at the current increase in Covid cases, the hospitals risk being ‘overrun’ by Covid patients. However, he also added that the country is prepared for another surge.
While the comment was unclear back then, the latest recommendation has put some insight to it. The CDC experts have recommended cutting the isolation period from ten days to five for asymptomatic Covid patients. This would allow people to return back to work sooner, thus making sure labour shortages are not as grave as previous times.
Experts have, however, added that the asymptomatic Covid patients should make sure they wear a mask for the next five days when around anyone else.
CDC defended their move by saying that the new recommendations were ‘motivated by science’ as previous case studies have proved that the major transmission of Covid happened in the early days of the illness.
Meanwhile, Joe Biden is trying to make sure that the locals do not react to Omicron the same way they did to the Delta variant. Last year, when the Covid started rapidly spreading through the country, Americans were worried which largely translated into heightened panic. This had an adverse effect on frontline workers, hospital resources and the unity of the country.
Biden hopes that the same will not be repeated this year and people will be able to get through the incoming surge in a calmer way than before. “Omicron is a source of concern, but it should not be a source of panic,” he said.
