CAPE TOWN - The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) updated its isolation guidance saying patients may continue to test positive of Covid-19 for up to 3 months but not infectious to others.
A recently released statement by the CDC addresses the updates on its isolation guide based on recent findings from multiple studies of Covid-19 finding patients testing positive for up to 3 months, however, found to not be infectious to others.
The organisation emphasises that this does not imply immunity to reinfection saying, "The latest data simply suggests that retesting someone in the 3 months following initial infection is not necessary unless that person is exhibiting the symptoms of Covid-19 and the symptoms cannot be associated with another illness."
Patients infected with Covid-19 should be isolated for at least 10 days after the symptom onset and until 24 hours after their fever subsides without the use of fever-reducing medications says CDC.
There has been more than 15 studies around the world and recently published looking at the length of infection, duration of viral shedding, asymptomatic spread and risk of spread amongst patient groups with findings to be infectiousness in most people lasting no longer than 10 days after symptoms begin and no longer than 20 days in patients with severe illnesses or those who are severely immunocompromised.
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