The current quarantine recommendation after potential exposure to the coronavirus is 14 days even in cases of a negative test, since symptoms may take up to 14 days to appear.
Henry Walke, MD, the CDC’s COVID-19 incident manager, told WSJ the shortened length would be an effort to get more people to comply.
“Hopefully, people would be better able to adhere to quarantine if it was, for example, seven to 10 days,” Dr. Walke said.
The potential change would likely include a negative test as an OK to end quarantine. The chance of developing a COVID-19 infection after a negative test within the quarantine period is low, Dr. Walke told WSJ.
About 50 percent of people who develop a COVID-19 infection show symptoms between five and six days after exposure, Justin Lessler, PhD, epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, told WSJ.
In countries with few coronavirus cases, the full 14-day quarantine is critical since one missed case could trigger a new outbreak, Dr. Lessler said.
In a statement to FOX News, a CDC spokesperson said no changes have been finalized.
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