What does it mean to be a Close Contact with Someone who Tested Positive for COVID-19?

People who have been in close contact with those who are tested positive for COVID-19 have to quarantine for 14 days. However, what does it really mean?

By: Alisa Nudar

On October 21, federal health officials released new guidelines, widening the pool of individuals deemed vulnerable to contracting the new coronavirus by altering the concept of the person's "closure touch"

The move by the Disease Control and Prevention centers is likely to have a significant effect on classrooms, workplaces and other groups where people have long-term interaction with others. It also underlines the importance of masking to prevent the virus from spreading even though President Trump and his top coronavirus experts continue to challenge such advice.

The CDC described the "close contact" previously as anyone who spent 15 straight minutes in a confirmed coronavirus case within six feet. According to a CDC statement on the 21st, the revised guidelines, on which the health services rely for contact monitoring,

now describe close contact as an individual who has been an infected person within a six foot distance for a total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour span.

The update has arrived because the United States sadly is seeing a distressing pattern, with cases rising in nearly 75% of the world, according to Jay Butler, CDC Deputy Director of Infectious Disease, who has been allowed in over eight weeks at CDC headquarters in Atlanta. People can feel tired of their advice but, as America is going indoors where the risk of transmission is greater, it's more important than ever this autumn and the winter.

According to a CDC official who was speaking privately to share policy discussions, CDC scientists had been debating guidelines on coronavirus transmission, the causes of Covid-19 for several weeks. The report released on the 21st then provided disturbing new facts. In an 8-hour shift, 20-year-old prison officials from the CDC to Vermont learned that the virus was contracted with 22 contacts, for a total of 17 minutes, with persons who subsequently screened positively for the virus.

The study expresses that the data available indicate that during those brief interactions at least one asymptomatic [infectious prisoner] transmits.

The CDC indicates that someone who has a virus does not have symptoms, as much as half, so it's necessary to wear a mask because you might carry the virus, and you can't know it. Any other person who wears a mask enhances the protection of everyone, even if the wearer is shielded by the mask. Wearing masks cover more people.

The revised recommendations were called a big shift by Caitlin Rivers, an epidemiologist.

Rivers conveys that when you spend a day together even a couple of minutes at the water cooler, a couple of minutes at the lift, etc, it's easy to build up 15 minutes.

This is expected to contribute to recognizing many more individuals as close contacts.

Rivers has said that it is unknown whether the many brief meetings were the only explanation of the infection of the prison employee. The airborne or surface transmission of the virus may have been other possible routes. She also noted that the new guidance is going to be difficult to enforce contact monitoring systems and it will be difficult for schools and companies to operate under this guidance.

The guideline is referred to as a sensible change by Tom Frieden, director of the CDC under the Obama administration. However, he also said that the visibility, atmosphere and infection of the patient source depend on whether someone is a contact.

The CDC's preceding concepts of close contact used all presidential camps to decide if candidates and employees should be quarantined. A spokesman for Vice President Pence in a room with Trump two days prior to his positive diagnosis, the Vice-President also did not follow the most recent concepts of near contact.

In the past week Democratic candidate Joe Biden and Sen. Kamala D. Harris both were close-knit airlines that checked the virus positively. Harris had a positive workers test, too. Jen O'Malley Dillon, Campaign Manager at Biden, said earlier that none of these encounters were considered closer communications under the previous guidelines.

The correctional worker held some short meetings with six inmates at the Vermont prison with their reports of the coronavirus tests pending on 28 July. The following day, they all tested positive. In order to perform a contact tracing investigation, the health and correction authorities in Vermont concluded that the officer did not meet the criteria of near contact and continued to work.

A week later, however, the employee experienced covid-19 symptoms, including scent and taste loss, a runny nose, cough , shortness of breath and appetite.

The next day he was examined and he was positive on 11 August.

Video surveillance footage from Vermont authorities was checked on 28 July and the employee never spent 15 straight minutes within 6 feet of any of the contaminated individuals. In its eight-hour staff shift, the employee had numerous brief (about 1 minute) meetings that were more than 15 minutes" and, according to the CDC report, was reported to be 22 times within six feet of the infected person, with a total of about 17 minutes of exposure.

The official wears a face mask, a robe and eye protection at all meetings. During most encounters with him, the infected individuals had masks. However, during several events in a cell door and in a prison recreation room, they have not been disguised, according to the report.

No other documented exposure to coronavirus individuals outside work was confirmed by the officer and he did not travel outside Vermont 14 days before he became ill, the report said. Investigators claimed that the correctional institution his most likely exposures have happened during the short interviews.