U.S. CDC Streamlines COVID-19 Guidance

The U.S. CDC recently announced it was streamlining its COVID-19 guidance to help people better understand their risk, how to protect themselves and others, what actions to take if exposed to COVID-19, and what actions to take if they are sick or test positive for the virus.

"We're in a stronger place today as a nation, with more tools—like vaccination, boosters, and treatments—to protect ourselves and our communities from severe illness from COVID-19," said Greta Massetti, Ph.D., MPH, MMWR author, in a media statement August 11, 2022.

"We also have a better understanding of how to protect people from being exposed to the virus, like wearing high-quality masks, testing, and improved ventilation."

"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."

In support of this update, the CDC continues to promote the importance of being up to date with vaccination to protect people against serious illness, hospitalization, and death.

The protection provided by the current vaccine against symptomatic infection and transmission is less than that against severe disease.

And COVID-19 vaccine protection diminishes over time, especially against the currently circulating variants.

For this reason, it is essential to stay up to date, especially as new vaccines become available, says the CDC.

On August 11, 2022, the WHO reported that in Israel, during the Omicron dominant period, the estimated vaccine effectiveness (VE) of BNT162b2 against symptomatic COVID19 was 18% (95% CI, −2 to 34) at 14 to 27 days after the first dose and 48% (95% CI, 29 to 63) at 7 to 21 days after the second dose.

Additional COVID-19 vaccine news is posted at CoronavirusToday.