The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning Americans that they should be tested for COVID-19 if they are exposed to someone who is infected regardless of whether they're showing symptoms. This is a reversal of the previous recommendation that testing is unnecessary for someone who doesn't show symptoms of the disease even if they've had close contact with an infected person.
There are a number of risk factors for contracting the novel coronavirus behind COVID-19, and the CDC has issued a warning about one of them in its latest advisory. As it turns out, a large number of people who eventually contract COVID-19 had one particular activity in common before showing symptoms: they all went to restaurants within two weeks of developing the illness.
New rules concerning who can enter the US during the COVID-19 pandemic have been rolled out, with the CDC tearing up its old policy and replacing it with one that focuses less on coronavirus screening. The updated process kicks in on September 14, 2020, and will end enhanced entry health screening for passengers arriving in the US from countries with known COVID-19 hotspots.
We've all heard by now that you should be wearing face masks when in public to help curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, but what about face shields? Some people have turned to these shields as a more comfortable alternative to wear during the day, particularly while at work, but are they effective? Yet another study finds that you should avoid face shields unless you add one particular element to them.
Flu season vaccinations may already be available, but the CDC's Director has cautioned against being too eager to get the shot, amid ongoing concerns that influenza and COVID-19 could cause a perfect storm of sickness this winter. Speaking on a call, CDC chief Dr. Robert Redfield advised against immediately getting a flu shot, while doubling-down on recommendations that could not only help prevent coronavirus but influenza too.
Earlier this month we reported an onion recall that was part of an investigation into a potential Salmonella outbreak. Here on the 18th of August, 2020, the FDA, CDC, and public health and regulatory officials in the USA and Canada have expanded their investigation and confirmed an additional 229 ill people reported in this outbreak, 9 of whom were from states new to this investigation.
People recovering from COVID-19 should not assume they automatically have three months of immunity from reinfection, the CDC has warned, after misleading reports suggested those recovering from coronavirus would be naturally resistant to catching it again. The caution follows misinterpreted guidance by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about when COVID-19 retesting should be carried out.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has announced the discovery of a chemical found in grapefruit peels that can effectively repel bloodthirsty insects like ticks and mosquitos. The agency has big plans for this compound, which it has registered with the Environmental Protection Agency for use in insect repellants and insecticides. What's so special about this chemical? It works differently from existing insecticides, effectively killing pests that bite and, as a result, reducing the presence of bloodborne diseases like Lyme disease.
The CDC just updated their guidance for citizens of the United States during our modern global pandemic here in the year 2020. The update appeared on the 7th of August (earlier today) and included a few key points that've been clarified or straight up added to the mix that were not present before. To be clear, if you wear a mask over your nose, mouth, and chin, and your mask is simple but secure, you're probably not going to need to change anything about how you're handling the situation.
This week the CDC launched a system called SPHERES: SARS-CoV-2 Sequencing for Public Health Emergency Response, Epidemiology and Surveillance (SPHERES). This group, this new national genomics consortium, aims to facilitate large-scale, rapid genomic sequencing of the virus that causes COVID-19. That, in turn, will ideally allow public health experts to achieve several goals.
In an update late last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that it is working with the FDA and local health agencies to investigate an outbreak of Cyclospora linked to contaminated salad products. More than 600 people have become ill as a result of eating these salads, according to the agency, which notes that reports of illness have been verified in 11 states thus far. Fortunately, there haven't been any reports of death linked to the outbreak.
New guidelines for how long people with COVID-19 should isolate, when they can return to work, and how they should be tested and re-tested for coronavirus have been released by the CDC, in a significant update on the agency's pandemic policy. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that, among other reasons, an attempt to limit "unnecessary use of laboratory testing resources" was a key motivator behind the new guidance.