[Plan22] ARTICLE ON NEW CDC GUIDANCE AND COVID

[Brian Buhrow]

	hello planning committee.  I came across the following article in the San Jose Mercury
News yesterday.  I thought this article would be of interest to this group because it may
influence the Covid protocols we implement for this year's state convention.  While I
appreciate Rachel's rigorous set of protocols for this year's convention, I am concerned that
we're swimming upstream when it comes to imposing more protocols, even as the nation, lead by
the CDC, is ratcheting the protocols down.  this was demonstrated to me on our last planning
call when Allison observed that the hotel told her they were just following what the CDC said
when it came to Covid protocols and procedures.  As time goes by, the CDC is moving toward a
position that I would characterize as "Every person for themselves".  
	I encourage this committee to read this article, link and text pasted below, and then see
where we fall, as a committee on these protocols.  As Jamie observed a couple of weeks ago,
this is a moving target and November looks like an eternity away at this point.  


-Brian

https://www.mercurynews.com/2022/08/11/cdc-eases-covid-19-guidance/


CDC eases COVID-19 guidance. What you need to know

Quarantine no longer recommended after virus exposure


   A sign at the entrance to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is seen, Tuesday,
   April 19, 2022, in Atlanta. A decision by a federal judge in Florida to throw out a
   national mask mandate for public transportation across the U.S. created a confusing
   patchwork of rules for passengers. The CDC recently extended the mandate, but the court
   decision put the mandate on hold. (AP Photo/Ron Harris)
   A sign at the entrance to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is seen, Tuesday,
   April 19, 2022, in Atlanta. A decision by a federal judge in Florida to throw out a
   national mask mandate for public transportation across the U.S. created a confusing
   patchwork of rules for passengers. The CDC recently extended the mandate, but the court
   decision put the mandate on hold. (AP Photo/Ron Harris)
   By John Woolfolk | jwoolfolk at bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
   PUBLISHED: August 11, 2022 at 12:11 p.m. | UPDATED: August 12, 2022 at 8:05 a.m.

   The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention streamlined its guidance Thursday for
   keeping COVID-19 in check, de-emphasizing social distancing, nixing screening tests for
   those without symptoms and no longer recommending that people who aren't current on
   vaccines quarantine after exposure to the virus.

   In one of the most significant changes, federal health officials no longer urge people who
   are unvaccinated or haven't had a booster shot to "stay home and quarantine for at least
   five full days" after exposure while advising those current on the vaccine or who had
   recovered from COVID-19 in the past 90 days to only stay home if they had symptoms.

   Now, the CDC recommends that everyone -- regardless of vaccination or past infection --
   "wear a high-quality mask for 10 days and get tested on day five" after exposure to the
   virus.

   The guidance revision that has been anticipated for weeks relaxes rules aimed at keeping
   people apart that had made many aspects of social life fraught with anxiety, from weddings
   and concerts to attending school.

   "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," Greta Massetti, chief of the CDC's Field Epidemiology and Prevention
   Branch, said in a statement accompanying the announcement.

   "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," Massetti said.
   "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."

   The new rules also say it's no longer necessary to screen people who have no symptoms or
   known exposure to detect hidden infections among groups of people such as students at
   school. And the agency now says "physical distance is just one component of how to protect
   yourself and others."

   U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said that means schools won't have to worry
   about maintaining space between desks to reduce outbreaks.

   "This latest guidance from the CDC should give our students, parents, and educators the
   confidence they need to head back to school this year with a sense of joy and optimism,"
   Cardona said. "While COVID continues to evolve, so has our understanding of the science and
   what it takes to return to school safely."

   American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten said she welcomed the changes
   and said that with prevention and treatment options available, "now is not the time for new
   mandates."

   On Twitter, Stanford medical school professor Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, a vocal critic of
   pandemic lockdowns, applauded the new guidelines for dismantling vaccine segregation and
   "eliminating unnecessary disruptions in the lives of kids this school year."

   The CDC said that regardless of vaccination status, "you should isolate from others when
   you have COVID-19" or are "sick and suspect that you have COVID-19 but do not yet have test
   results."

   If the test is negative, there's no need to isolate. But if it's positive, the CDC says you
   still should stay home for at least five days and isolate from others in your home and wear
   a high-quality mask such as an N95 or KN95 for 10 days when you must be around others at
   home or in public.

   The CDC said you should avoid being around people who are most likely to get very sick from
   COVID-19, such as those who are old or have chronic illness, for at least 11 days.

   As before, those who test positive but have no symptoms can end isolation after five days.
   Those who have moderate symptoms including difficulty breathing or become hospitalized
   should isolate for a full 10 days.

   The looser guidelines come as COVID-19 transmission levels, driven by the now dominant and
   immunity-evasive BA.5 omicron variant, are high across 94% of the U.S. and most California
   counties, including all of the Bay Area.

   The CDC's COVID-19 "community level" -- a metric introduced last spring that places more
   emphasis on the disease's impact on regional medical resources, is high across 42% of the
   U.S. and many California counties, including every Bay Area county except Marin.

   But the summer case surge appears to have peaked, and no newer variants have been gaining
   ground on BA.5, which has not spurred hospitalizations and deaths as much as earlier
   variants.

   The CDC says "it is important to consider the risk in a particular setting, including local
   COVID-19 Community Levels and the important role of ventilation, when assessing the need to
   maintain physical distance."

   COVID-19 vaccines now are authorized for everyone 6 months old and up, and two-thirds of
   Americans and nearly three fourths of Californians are considered fully vaccinated, while
   just under half across the U.S. and 55% in California have had at least one vaccine
   booster.

   The CDC said "protection provided by the current vaccine against symptomatic infection and
   transmission is less than that against severe disease and diminishes over time, especially
   against the currently circulating variants."

   "For this reason," the CDC continued, "it is important to stay up to date, especially as
   new vaccines become available."