New CDC COVID guidelines throw out quarantine, allow for benefits of natural immunity

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New CDC COVID guidelines throw out quarantine, allow for benefits of natural immunity
Two and half years later, the federal health agency also acknowledges that testing everyone is not a good strategy.

Aug 12, 2022
ATLANTA, Georgia (LifeSiteNews) – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued new guidance on COVID-19 Thursday, implicitly acknowledging the effectiveness of natural immunity, and hinting at future easing of COVID “travel” rules.

Individuals exposed to someone with COVID-19 do not need to isolate themselves if they do not have any symptoms, according to new guidelines released by the CDC on Thursday.

The CDC also acknowledged that some people are not at a significant risk of infection due to natural immunity and that COVID is likely here to stay like other diseases like the flu. The new rules now treat those “who are not up to date on COVID-19 vaccines” the same as those “who are up to date on COVID-19 vaccines.”

However, the health agency still recommends everyone to get vaccinated.

“This guidance acknowledges that the pandemic is not over, but also helps us move to a point where COVID-19 no longer severely disrupts our daily lives,” CDC official Greta Massetti stated in the Thursday announcement.

The CDC now recommends that “instead of quarantining if you were exposed to COVID-19, you wear a high-quality mask for 10 days and get tested on day 5.” Studies have called into question the effectiveness of mask wearing to prevent the transmission of the virus.

The CDC also no longer recommends “screening testing of asymptomatic people without known exposures… in most community settings.” Some universities, for example, had required students to get tested once or twice per week, if not more.

The six-feet social distancing rule has also been thrown out – the CDC now states that “physical distance is just one component of how to protect yourself and others.”

“It is important to consider the risk in a particular setting, including local COVID-19 Community Levels and the important role of ventilation, when assessing the need to maintain physical distance,” the CDC says.

“In the coming weeks CDC will work to align stand-alone guidance documents, such as those for healthcare settings, congregate settings at higher risk of transmission, and travel, with today’s update,” the CDC announced.

One medical expert who opposed the CDC’s COVID restrictions commented that his views were now being acknowledged.

“The CDC guidance to end mass asymptomatic testing is a big deal, though it comes a full 2 years too late,” Stanford University medical Professor Jay Bhattacharya wrote on Twitter. “If your child is going on a field trip and has no symptoms and is forced to test, make sure to let the authorities know that they are violating CDC guidelines.”

The CDC guidance to end mass asymptomatic testing is a big deal, though it comes a full 2 years too late. If your child is going on a field trip and has no symptoms and is forced to test, make sure to let the authorities know that they are violating CDC guidelines.

— Jay Bhattacharya (@DrJBhattacharya) August 12, 2022

He linked to a September 2020 Wall Street Journal op-ed he wrote with Harvard epidemiologist Martin Kulldorff that argued against asymptomatic mass testing, particularly for children and young adults.

“There is little purpose in using tests to check asymptomatic children to see if it is safe for them to come to school. When children are infected, most are asymptomatic, and the mortality risk is lower than for the flu,” the pair wrote. “While adult-to-adult and adult-to-child transmission is common, child-to-adult transmission isn’t. Children thus pose minimal risk to their teachers. If a child has a cough, a runny nose or other respiratory symptoms, he should stay home. You don’t need a test for that.”