The CDC Updates Its COVID (and Other Respiratory Illness) Guidance

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Patricia Tsipras

March 11, 2024

On March 1, 2024, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its recommendations for protecting yourself and your community from respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and influenza (flu).  The CDC issued this update because the United States is seeing far fewer hospitalizations and deaths associated with COVID-19, and because more tools are available to us to combat COVID-19, RSV, and the flu.

The updated guidance includes recommendations on keys strategies for prevention:

• Stay up to date with vaccination.
  • For most people, that means getting a current flu and COVID-19 vaccine.
  • For adults 60 years of age and older, the CDC recommends consultation with a healthcare provider about whether an RSV vaccine is right for them.
  • To prevent severe RSV disease in infants, the CDC recommends that either the pregnant mother gets an RSV vaccine, or the infant gets an immunization with an RSV monoclonal antibody.
• Practice good hygiene.
  • Cover your coughs and sneezes.
  • Wash or sanitize your hands often.
  • Clean frequently touched surfaces.
• Take steps for cleaner air.
  • Bring in fresh outside air by opening doors and windows.
  • Purify indoor air.
  • Gather outdoors.

The updated guidance still recommends that people who get sick with a respiratory virus stay home and away from others.  However, the guidance now suggests returning to normal activities when symptoms have been improving for at least 24 hours and, if a fever existed, the fever has been gone for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication.  Previous guidance suggested isolation for five days.

The CDC further suggests that, once people resume normal activities, they use prevention strategies for the next five days to curb the spread of disease.  Previous guidance suggested such strategies for ten days following resumption of normal activities.  The prevention strategies include taking steps for cleaner air, enhancing hygiene practices, wearing a well-fitting mask, keeping a distance from others, and getting tested for respiratory viruses.  The CDC notes that the enhanced precautions are especially important to protect people most at risk for severe illness, including those over 65 years of age and those with weakened immune systems.

The updated guidance also includes specific sections with additional considerations for people who are at higher risk of severe illness from respiratory viruses, including people who are immunocompromised, people with disabilities, people who are or were recently pregnant, young children, and older adults.

Employers should consider revising their COVID-19 protocols to reflect the new guidance while continuing to encourage employees to stay home if they are ill.  Employers can download the CDC’s infographic that summarizes the key strategies outlined in its updated guidance.  Note that the CDC offers separate, specific guidance for healthcare settings.  See COVID-19, flu, and general infection prevention and control guidelines.

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