"CDC Simplifies COVID Isolation Guidelines, Drawing Comparisons to Flu"
The CDC has released new guidance treating COVID-19 more like the flu, consolidating its rules with those for other respiratory viruses and dropping the 5-day isolation recommendation. The agency argues that COVID-19's impact now resembles that of other respiratory illnesses and that most cases go undiagnosed. Critics worry about the potential risks of this approach, but the CDC points to declining hospitalizations and deaths, emphasizing the importance of vaccination. The agency also highlights the underreporting of flu deaths and the similarity in total COVID-19 and flu deaths, ultimately folding SARS-CoV-2 into the group of common seasonal respiratory viruses.