ABC News: CDC launches COVID-19 wastewater surveillance dashboard. “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention launched a new dashboard Friday that tracks COVID-19 in wastewater samples across the country. The data comes from the federal agency’s National Wastewater Surveillance System, which connects more than 400 sites across 28 states and the District of Columbia.”
Washington Post: CDC weighs recommending better masks against omicron variant. “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is considering updating its mask guidance to recommend that people opt for the highly protective N95 or KN95 masks worn by health-care personnel, if they can do so consistently, said an official close to the deliberations who was not authorized to speak publicly.”
CDC: Worker Health Charts: A data visualization tool for worker health information. “Worker Health Charts is a valuable tool for analyzing and presenting worker health information and data. Recently, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) updated Worker Health Charts with new features to make it more user-friendly.”
WABI: Maine CDC director says to focus on COVID hospitalization numbers. “Every day the Maine CDC releases loads of data and numbers to the public that help them track the severity of COVID-19 in our state. It is no surprise that some of these numbers are more important than others. This week Dr. Nirav Shah of the Maine CDC offered a little guidance to the public about what numbers they should put more focus on.”
CNET: CDC panel recommends boosters for kids 12 and up. “A committee that advises the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention voted Wednesday to recommend Pfizer’s COVID-19 booster for kids age 12 and up, at least five months after their second shot.”
Reuters: CDC to clarify COVID-19 testing guidance for ending quarantine – U.S. surgeon general. “The U.S. Centers for Disease Control will issue a clarification on the role of COVID-19 testing related to a shortened five-day quarantine period for those testing positive for the virus, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said on Tuesday.”
Associated Press: Fauci: CDC mulling COVID test requirement for asymptomatic. “As the COVID-19 omicron variant surges across the United States, top federal health officials are looking to add a negative test along with its five-day isolation restrictions for asymptomatic Americans who catch the coronavirus, the White House’s top medical adviser said Sunday.”
Detroit Free Press: Michigan says it won’t follow CDC’s more relaxed COVID-19 quarantine recommendations. “The Michigan Department of Health & Human Services said it won’t adopt new, shorter federal COVID-19 isolation/quarantine guidelines until it reviews ‘the supporting evidence … while awaiting additional information, … specifically for special populations and in high-risk settings.’ Rather, Michigan health leaders say they will continue to recommend previous, longer quarantine and isolation guidelines, including those for K-12 schools and congregate care settings.”
CNET: CDC shortens recommend quarantine duration, with restrictions. “On Monday, officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lowered the amount of time that Americans with COVID-19 need to spend in isolation, reducing guidance from 10 days to five, provided they aren’t experiencing symptoms and stay masked around other people for an additional five days. The quarantine guidance for anyone exposed to the virus received the same revision. The new guidelines come as the Omicron variant continues to spread throughout the US, accounting for 73% of cases in the country.”
CNN: Daily Covid-19 case numbers with Omicron ‘could exceed previous peaks,’ CDC warns. “The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that the Omicron coronavirus variant could drive Covid-19 cases higher than ever before, according to modeling posted on the agency’s website this week.”
Axios: Report: CDC overcounts millions of vaccinations. “The U.S. government has overcounted the number of Americans who are at least partly vaccinated against the coronavirus, Bloomberg reports. Why it matters: Millions more people than initially thought are unprotected as coronavirus infections, hospitalizations and deaths are rising across the country.”
NBC News: CDC recommends people not get J&J vaccine if Pfizer, Moderna are available. “People shouldn’t get the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine when the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna shots are available, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday. The recommendation, from CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, came hours after members of the agency’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted in favor of the guidance.”
Washington Post: CDC finds coronavirus testing of exposed children in schools can safely replace quarantine. “The CDC released two studies that show the effectiveness of what’s known as ‘test-to-stay.’ School districts across the country have tried this strategy, though it is not widely used….Typically, students who are deemed close contacts of someone who tests positive for the virus are sent home to quarantine, to make sure that people who may be carrying the virus, even without symptoms, do not infect others. The CDC studied test-to-stay alternative programs in Lake County, Ill., and Los Angeles County.
Washington Post: Omicron spreading rapidly in U.S., could bring punishing wave as soon as January, CDC warns. “Top federal health officials warned in a briefing Tuesday morning that the omicron variant is rapidly spreading in the United States and could peak in a massive wave of infections as soon as January, according to new modeling from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The prevalence of omicron jumped sevenfold in a single week, CDC modeling shows, and at such a pace, the highly mutated variant of the coronavirus could ratchet up pressure on a health system already strained in many places as the delta variant continues its own late-autumn surge.”
CNN: Italy and 2 other nations now at ‘very high’ travel risk for Covid-19, CDC warns. ” The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention added three nations to its highest-risk category for travel on Monday, including tourist favorite Italy. In its weekly update of Covid-19 travel advisories, the CDC also added giant, frigid Greenland and the tiny, tropical East African island nation of Mauritius to its ‘Level 4: Covid-19 Very High’ category.”
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