CDC shortens quarantine times as COVID-19 cases rise in San Diego County

Kim Harris

Managing Editor

Even as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shortened the time for quarantine for the public from 14 days to five days, the number of COVID-19 cases over the past week continues to rise in San Diego County, according to data released by the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency.

In the guidance issued Monday, Dec. 27, the CDC said that people diagnosed with COVID-19 should isolate for “five days, and if they are asymptomatic or their symptoms are resolving without a fever for 24 hours, follow that by five days of wearing a mask when around others to minimize the risk of infecting people they encounter.”

The change, the CDC said, was “motivated by science demonstrating that the majority of SARS-CoV-2 transmission occurs early in the course of illness, generally in the one to two days prior to onset of symptoms and the two- to three days after.”

The CDC also updated the recommended quarantine period for anyone in the “general public who has been exposed to COVID-19.”

For people who are unvaccinated, those who are more than six months out from their second mRNA dose or those who are more than two months after the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and have not yet received a booster shot, the CDC recommended quarantine for five days followed by strict mask use for an additional five days.

“Alternatively, if a five-day quarantine is not feasible, it is imperative that an exposed person wear a well-fitting mask at all times when around others for 10 days after exposure,” the CDC said.

According to numbers released Saturday, Jan. 1, since Monday, Dec. 27, the number of coronavirus patients in San Diego County hospitals surged from 332 to 590 and the number of those patients in intensive care increased by 22 to 114, while the county also logged an additional 19 virus-related deaths.

Meanwhile, the aggregate number of COVID-19 cases recorded in the county increased by 8,958 since Dec. 27, reaching 420,089 total cases, up by 14,384 over the past seven days, since the pandemic began, according to HHSA.

Delta remains the most common variant in San Diego County, with more than 17,000 cases reported since mid-April. Omicron has just 91 confirmed cases in the county, but the time period measured began Dec. 3. There have been no deaths from Omicron reported in the county and one hospitalization, the county Health and Human Services Agency reported.

Over the past 21 months 4,442 deaths attributed to virus-related complications have been recorded in the county. Due to HIPPA laws, it remains unclear if any of those who died from COVID-19 had any underlying health conditions. Fatalities are trailing indicators due to delays in processing death certificates which can go back weeks, according to health officials.

In Fallbrook, the current case rate is 15.4 cases a week. Bonsall is trending a bit higher at 18.1 cases per week, according to HHSA data.

“We get it. People are tired of the pandemic, but given the record number of cases, the brisk emergence of Omicron and the increased risks that come with gatherings, San Diegans must continue to make decisions to protect themselves and others,” Dr. Cameron Kaiser, county deputy public health officer, said earlier this week.

The county recommended that people worried about COVID-19 infection and others seeking COVID-19 testing only go to a hospital to be tested if they have severe symptoms.

Those with mild COVID-19 symptoms should contact their health care provider via phone or telehealth for guidance.

The San Diego Library gave away more than 20,000 free COVID-19 test kits to the community in just a few days. The library system is completely out of the testing kits. Antigen testing kits are available at retail stores but have become more difficult to find as demand continues to grow.

In other COVID-19 news, the CDC withdrew its request to the Food and Drug Administration for Emergency Use Authorization of the CDC 2019-Novel Coronavirus real time PCR diagnostic panel first introduced in February 2020 for detection of COVID-19, citing concerns that the test did not differentiate between COVID-19 and the seasonal flu, according to a news release issued by the CDC.

Clinical laboratories across the country were expected to begin implementing one of the many FDA-authorized alternatives, including Serology/Antibody and Other Adaptive Immune Response Tests beginning Jan. 1, the CDC said.

The CDC also warned people Thursday, Dec. 19, to not go on cruise ships due to the outbreaks of COVID-19 fueled by the omicron variant, regardless of their vaccination status.

The CDC said it has more than 90 cruise ships under investigation or observation because of COVID-19 cases. The agency did not disclose the number of infections.

“The virus that causes COVID-19 spreads easily between people in close quarters on board ships, and the chance of getting COVID-19 on cruise ships is very high,” even if people are fully vaccinated and have received a booster, the CDC said.

In March 2020, as the coronavirus took hold in the U.S., the CDC put a halt to all cruises for what turned out to be 15 months. Last June, it allowed ships to resume sailing under new strict new conditions.

In August, as the delta variant surged, the agency warned people who are at risk of severe illness despite being vaccinated not to go on cruises.

The CDC also recommended that passengers get tested and quarantine for five days after docking, regardless of their vaccination status and even if they have no symptoms.

Royal Caribbean Group said that since cruising restarted in U.S. waters last spring, 1.1 million guests had traveled with its cruise lines and 1,745 people had tested positive for COVID-19, or about 0.16%.

It said that 41 people required hospitalization, and that no passengers diagnosed with omicron had been taken to the hospital.

All the changes and warnings come across as a mixed message as Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC, told MSNBC that the number of hospitalizations for children with COVID-19 has increased in recent days, but that many of those hospitalizations were not related to the virus.

“Many of them are actually coming in for another reason. But they happen to be tested when they come in and they’re found incidentally to have COVID,” she told MSNBC Dec. 29, adding that the high number of child hospitalizations is “common” for this “time of year.”

Walensky said that children “more often” don’t require treatment in the intensive care unit. Toward the end of the segment, she said that children who are eligible should receive COVID-19 vaccinations.

The CDC director, who has come under fire for her messaging on the COVID-19 pandemic since she was appointed this year, was asked about a report suggesting that the average number of hospitalizations for children who have COVID-19 has increased 52% as of Dec. 26. New Jersey, New York, Illinois, Florida and Ohio saw the highest increases.

“It’s winter, and this is a winter virus, and this Omicron is particularly contagious, so I think you were going to see an increase anyway,” Dr. Paul Offit, a vaccine expert at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, said to NBC’s “Today” recently. Offit similarly noted that many children have tested positive for COVID-19 without showing any symptoms.

“We test anybody who’s admitted to the hospital for whatever reason to see whether or not they have COVID, and we’re definitely seeing an increase in cases. However, we’re really not seeing an increase in children who are hospitalized for COVID or in the intensive care unit for COVID,” Offit said.

City News Service, The Epoch Times and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Kim Harris can be reached by email at [email protected].