Fauci says the US is considering changing its 10-day isolation period guidelines for vaccinated people who test positive for COVID-19

• Anthony Fauci said cutting CDC’s 10-day isolation guideline could help people get back to work sooner.
• His comments come just as the US is hit by a wave of the Omicron variant.
• Health experts worry the outbreak may worsen due to travel and socializing over year-end holidays.

White House medical adviser Anthony Fauci said on Tuesday that the US is considering shortening the 10-day recommended isolation period for vaccinated people who test positive for COVID-19,

“That’s certainly an important consideration which is being discussed right now,” Fauci, who is also the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told CNN’s “New Day.”

The CDC currently advises that anyone who tests positive for COVID should isolate for ten days.

“At home, anyone sick or infected should separate from others, stay in a specific ‘sick room’ or area, and use a separate bathroom (if available),” CDC guidelines state. 

However, Fauci said that the guidelines should be reassessed for people who test positive but who are fully vaccinated and asymptomatic so that they can get back to work sooner. 

“For example, if you get a healthcare worker who is infected and without any symptoms at all, you don’t want to keep that person out of work too very long. Because particularly if we get a run on hospital beds and the need for health care personnel, that’s something that at least will be considered,” Fauci said.

The White House has yet to announce a revision on the current policy. 

Fauci’s comments come as the US wrestles with the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, which now accounts for 73% of all COVID-19 cases in the US. Health experts are worried that the outbreak may worsen as people travel and socialize over the Christmas and New Year holidays, and strain healthcare systems.