The days of quarantine and strict social distancing are over, but the CDC still has some recommendations for how to act if you test positive for COVID

COVID Is Much Different Than It Was Four Years Ago. Here's How You Should Navigate It in 2024

The days of quarantine and strict social distancing are over, but the CDC still has some recommendations for how to act if you test positive for COVID

• You don’t have to follow a strict quarantine protocol anymore if you get COVID—but there are some precautions you should take.
• In March 2024, the CDC updated their COVID guidelines to align with other infectious respiratory viruses like the flu and RSV.
• If you do test positive for COVID, experts recommend you stay home, hydrate, get plenty of rest, and consider getting a Paxlovid prescription for severe symptoms.

We all remember the days of strict COVID rules, like wearing a mask and keeping a six-foot distance from others. But as COVID has become less dangerous for most people and more ubiquitous, doctors and public health officials aren’t as emphatic about virus-related recommendations as they used to be. 

This new reality has created a gray area regarding steps to take after testing positive for the virus. Is contact tracing necessary? Can you head to work if you’re asymptomatic? And what does it mean for your family members? 

We asked infectious disease experts about what you should do after finding out you have COVID. Here’s what they said.

First Off, How Prevalent Is COVID Right Now?

Before we dig into recommendations about how to handle yourself when you have COVID, you might be curious about how prevalent COVID is right now to begin with.

Brian Labus, PhD, an infectious disease expert and assistant professor of public health at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, has good news: We’re likely past the peak of the summer surge. “Some areas have already seen a decrease after having really high numbers,” he told Health. 

Still, that doesn’t mean you won’t get the virus. Numbers are “starting to trend in the right direction, but we still have a lot of COVID circulating in the country,” Labus explained.

“We tend to see cases throughout the year, with spikes during certain times," added Cesar Arias, MD, MSc, PhD, chief of the division of infectious diseases at Houston Methodist Hospital. One of those times includes winter, when people gather indoors.

What To Do If You Test Positive

In March 2024, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated their COVID guidelines to align with other infectious respiratory viruses like the flu and RSV. This decision to adopt a unified approach “makes recommendations easier to follow and thus more likely to be adopted,” according to a CDC press release.

Practically speaking, the policy change means there are no strict rules to follow if you test positive for COVID. “The recommendation is basically to stay home until you feel better,” Labus said. That means you should avoid going out, especially in crowded or enclosed places, until your symptoms improve and you’ve been fever-free for at least 24 hours.

If you test positive but don’t have any symptoms, the risk of transmission drops significantly. As such, you don’t necessarily need to stay home, but you should still keep your distance from others and wear a mask for at least five days. “Positive tests are not a very effective indicator of risk of disease spread,” Labus said. “You can continue to test positive for a while as you recover even though you are no longer infectious.”

Unlike in the early days of the pandemic, contact tracing is no longer a widespread practice. “This virus transmits so quickly and so rapidly that any efforts of concentration tracing becomes an enormous task and incredibly expensive, so nobody does that anymore,” Arias said. However, it’s still considerate to inform those you’ve been in close contact with so they can monitor themselves for symptoms.

Your friends and family members who were exposed don’t need to stay home if they haven’t tested positive. (Although they could wear a mask, of course.) “With increased population immunity due to vaccination, as well as effective treatments for the disease, we don’t need to rely on quarantine for exposed populations at this point,” Labus said.

How to Treat COVID

If you’re experiencing mild symptoms, over-the-counter medications like Tylenol (acetaminophen) or ibuprofen can help manage fever, aches, and pains. As with any respiratory illness, it’s important to stay hydrated and rest as much as possible.

However, “anyone with severe symptoms like difficulty breathing or chest pain should seek care immediately,” Labus said. “Otherwise, you know your body and should listen to it. If you aren’t getting better or are worried about the severity of your illness, it makes sense to see your doctor.”

People at higher risk of severe illness, such as older adults, people with compromised immune systems, or those with underlying health conditions, should see a healthcare provider who can prescribe Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir and ritonavir), an antiviral medication. It is shown to reduce symptom severity, especially in vulnerable populations, but Labus advised taking it soon after symptoms start. After five days, it doesn’t work nearly as well. 

Once you’re feeling better, trying to prevent spreading the virus is still advised. “For people who have immunocompromised situations, these viruses could cause a lot of problems because vaccination is not as effective,” Arias said. “Previous infections do not mount a robust immune response.”

For the next five days, the CDC encourages you to continue to take common-sense strategies to reduce the chances of infecting others. That means opening windows and giving people space, Labus said. “And if you’re around them, wear a mask so that you don’t infect them.”

How to Avoid a COVID Infection

The best defense against COVID remains vaccination. However, it’s more than a one-and-done solution. Instead, you can think of it more like your annual flu shot; you may get it once a year or every season as the vaccine changes and new variants emerge. This virus is highly transmissible, so the vaccine “may not prevent every infection, but it does a really good job of keeping people from suffering the worst effects of COVID when it does happen,” Labus said.

Maintaining good hygiene and proper ventilation can also protect yourself and others. Wash your hands regularly, cover coughs and sneezes, use hand sanitizer, and open windows or purify indoor air when possible. 

While the rules around COVID may be more relaxed, the virus is still very much part of our world, and if you’re relatively young and healthy, your role may be more focused on protecting others than yourself.

“No states have particular rules and are not investigating individual cases or requiring that people stay home,” Labus said. “But we want people to stay home when they’re sick so they don’t infect others. Think about your friends, your family, your neighbors, and do what you can to protect them.”

This story originally appeared on: Health News - Author:Hannah Singleton