CHATTANOOGA, TN (WDEF) – The Hamilton County Department of Health released new guidelines that reduced the recommended isolation period after a positive COVID-19 test. These recommendations are based on whether the patient has been fever-free for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications and other symptoms have improved. The guidelines are based on new information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
For people who never developed symptoms, isolation and other precautions can be suspended 10 days after their first positive test. People with severe symptoms may be asked to extend their isolation for more than 10 days.
The full press release can be read below:
The evidence accumulated by the CDC supports final isolation and precautions for people with COVID-19 using a symptom-based strategy. As such, the Hamilton County Department of Health will now end the isolation period for most adults sick with COVID-19. ten days after the onset of symptoms Yes:
- The patient has been fever-free for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications (decreased from 72 hours), and
- Other symptoms have improved.
For people who never developed symptoms, isolation and other precautions can be suspended 10 days after collection of their first positive RT-PCR test.
Some people who have had severe illness with COVID-19 may still be infectious beyond the 10-day period, and therefore may warrant extending their isolation and precautions up to 20 days after the onset of symptoms. Serious COVID-19 disease generally, but not always, results in hospitalization.
In either case, infectious disease specialists from the Health Department review each case and determine the isolation period and appropriate precautions.
In addition, people diagnosed with COVID-19 who have recovered and remain asymptomatic are no retesting is recommended within 3 months of the symptom onset date. A growing dataset shows that although the COVID-19 virus can be found in patients recovered for weeks, they are not infectious beyond their isolation period.
Public health is also asking providers as it identifies cases of COVID-19 infection among its patients to advise them to:
- Stay isolated at home during your infectious period (a minimum of 10 days from the onset of symptoms),and
- Ask them to start notifying their close contacts about their exposure and recommending close quarantined contacts at home for 14 days after their exposure, and
- Be prepared to cooperate when public health requires contact tracing.
Public health needs your help to share these important messages to reduce transmission. Strict adherence to these guidelines will reduce disease transmission.
Other best practices to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in our community include:
- Wear a mask when you go out to the public, per Health Department Directive No. 1,
- Follow the social distance guide provided to all sectors of the economy by the Tennessee Pledge,
- Do not organize or attend large gatherings of people at this time,
- Wash your hands often or use hand sanitizer when you can’t wash your hands.
A testing site calendar is available on the Department of Health testing website.
Visit these additional resources from the Department of Health COVID-19:
• COVID-19 direct line: (423) 209-8383
• Facebook page in English: https://www.facebook.com/HamiltonTNHealthDept/
• Facebook page in Spanish: https://www.facebook.com/SaludHamiltonTN/
• YouTube English: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCkF8VUBQFLiJoxh8Sk10mA
• YouTube in Spanish: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwHuLpBFuLOf6hDTOCFbfyQ
• Website: http://health.hamiltontn.org/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/HamiltonHealth
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