Why reduce the isolation of those who have been vaccinated against COVID-19? | Corona virus

At Quebec, In British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and New Brunswick, vaccinated persons should be self-isolated for five days instead of ten when symptoms appear or a positive test result is obtained on a screening test.

After five days, at least 24 hours, if their symptoms improve or disappear, they may end the isolation period.

The order, as announced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States, was one of the first countries to reduce the period of isolation to reduce the impact of skyscraper Omigron cases on how the company operates.

Health and government officials say the new rules are easier to follow and help alleviate labor shortages.

This significant increase in epidemics leads to this labor shortage, especially among essential workers. At some point you need to find a compromise, Recognizes Benoit Barbeau, Professor of Biological Sciences at UQAM.

This result is explained by the fact that the Omigran variant seems to cause less severe cases, says the virologist. It may be time to move on to a new vision where loneliness is less, He says.

At Isolation of health workers in Quebec There will be seven days despite contact with patients.

Why five days instead of ten?

According to the US CDC, the available data clearly show that victims are most likely to be infected two days before and three days after the onset of symptoms, so the proposed five days should be isolated.

The same reason used in Ontario to explain this order. In 90% of cases, your risk of transmission is over after five daysChief Health Officer Dr Kieran Moore said.

With the Omicron variant, the virus load of the infected person increases very rapidly, but it decreases very rapidly. So the amount of virus that is expelled after five days is usually very low, Dr. Moore argues.

He says about 40% of the spread occurs within two days of the onset of symptoms.

This new measure does not apply to those who have not been vaccinated. Benoit Barbie explains that vaccinated and infected people generally have a lower viral load than vaccinated individuals, so they are less susceptible to infections and shorter in time than those who are not vaccinated.

But all of this should be viewed with caution because data on Omicron are still preliminary and studies on it are still limited, said Mike Ryan, executive director of the World Health Organization’s health emergency program last week. Health (WHO).

For example, he explained, we often talk about infections among young people. However, do they have a shorter duration of infection than the elderly? But we do not know yet. So we have to be very careful in interpreting this data.

If scientists have not yet had the opportunity to study the impact of omigran variation during the incubation period, Mr said, the data could be more useful in determining isolation time. Barbie believes. This five day window was primarily rated against previous types. But we have a better understanding of how SARS-CoV-2 spreads than the onset of the infection.

Reluctant experts

This is clear from an interview with CBC News by Dr. Christopher Lapos, a Montreal cardiologist and epidemiologist. The farther you are from the onset of the infection, the less likely you are to become infected. However, he believes it is still difficult to say whether it is right to reduce the time in extraction.

In today’s environment, the Omigron variant is spreading so fast that I don’t know if it is time to really reduce these requirements., He declared.

Dr. Linora Choxinger, an epidemiologist and associate professor at the University of Alberta, agrees. Considering the high velocity at which the Omigron variant propagates, The added benefit is somewhat questionable, She told the CBC.

Finally, Revat Dionanthan, an epidemiologist and associate professor at the University of Ottawa, believes that choosing five days is even more risky because the duration of the epidemic is average.

Some spread for three days, others for 12 days or more, He said in an interview with the CBC.

Negative test required

Benoit Barbeau also agrees that the five-day rule is not nonsense. There is no 100% guarantee that this person will not be infected [après 5 jours] , He insists.

⁇ This time window is a conservative mean. We have the vast majority of the population and it will no longer be contagious [après 5 jours]. But you have to understand that there is one more part. ⁇

This is why he believes that some guidelines should be imposed even if workers returning after five days of isolation are asymptomatic.

Like epidemiologist Revat Dionanthan, he believes the need for a negative test is a good way to reduce the risk. Having a negative test will also keep other workers safe. This means that a person is less likely to be infected, Mr. Barbie argues.

In fact, in the United States, the CDC has been severely criticized by many experts for not including the need to obtain a negative test before coming out of isolation. On Tuesday evening, the CDC updated their isolation guidelines, but they have not yet recommended that a person receive a negative test before being isolated. However, people are advised Have access A test and who To test themselves.

Those who come out too quickly should wear a mask at all times, Mr. Barbie adds.

We should all give them the N95 mask and it shouldn’t even be a question, He begs.