The influential American Medical Association (AMA) on Wednesday criticized the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) revision of guidelines for quarantine and claimed it is confusing.
But, “according to the CDC’s own rationale for shortened isolation periods for the general public, an estimated 31 percent of people remain infectious 5 days after a positive COVID-19 test,” said AMA president Dr. Gerald E. Harmon in a statement Wednesday in criticizing the CDC’s directive.
“With hundreds of thousands of new cases daily and more than a million positive reported cases on January 3, tens of thousands–potentially hundreds of thousands of people–could return to work and school infectious if they follow the CDC’s new guidance on ending isolation after five days without a negative test,” Harmon said, adding that a negative antigen COVID-19 test should be required for ending quarantine after one tests positive.
Although “test availability remains a challenge in many parts of the country, including in hospitals,” Harmon said his organization wants the Biden “administration to pull all available levers to ramp up production and distribution of tests. But a dearth of tests at the moment does not justify omitting a testing requirement to exit a now shortened isolation,” he said.
Harmon did not elaborate on how the federal government or CDC should deal with the current shortage of COVID-19 test kits. Nor did he address potential workforce or staffing shortfalls that may be triggered if employees remain on COVID-19-related leave for a longer period of time.
The Epoch Times has contacted the CDC for comment.