Because the number of Americans infected with omicrons is increasing rapidly and there is already a shortage of staff in many places, the authorities have reduced the prescribed isolation for asymptomatic persons to five days. The measure should also have a signal effect for Europe.
American airlines canceled thousands of flights over the holidays due to staff shortages as a result of numerous Omicron infections. In the picture stranded passengers at Miami Airport.
In the US, the Quarantine duration halved because of the many infections with the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. Infected people without symptoms now only have to isolate themselves for five days instead of ten. The authorities understand isolation as the time after a confirmed infection. For people with a booster vaccination, the obligation to go into quarantine after contact with an infected person is completely eliminated. The American health authority Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Monday.
The United States had an average of over 200,000 new infections per day over the Christmas period. Because many crew members were absent, American airlines canceled thousands of flights. It is feared that the continued rapid spread of the virus will lead to a collapse of other parts of the economy and infrastructure. CDC chief Rochelle Walensky said the reduced quarantine period will ensure people can safely continue their daily lives. Otherwise, the spread of the Omikron variant threatens to affect all parts of society.
There is a risk of mass quarantine
The reason for the loosening is also given as the scientific knowledge that most infections take place early in the course of the disease – usually one to two days before the onset of symptoms and two to three days after, the CDC announced on Monday.
The agency recommends that infected people wear a mask for another five days after the five days in isolation. The CDC guidelines are not binding, but American politics and business generally follow the recommendations. Contact persons vaccinated three times should wear a mask for ten days instead of quarantine. The CDC, on the other hand, recommends a five-day quarantine for contact persons of corona infected people if they are not vaccinated or if the last vaccination was more than six months ago. The subsequent wearing of a mask for five days is also recommended for these people.
In Europe experts assume a similarly rapid spread of the new variant. Here too, if the previous rules are continued, there could be a mass quarantine with unforeseeable consequences for the functioning of society. It can therefore be assumed that the new CDC rules will also be adopted by European countries.
Dramatic situation in New York
New York is particularly hard hit by the new variant. Not only have the number of infections increased rapidly there; The serious disease progression is also increasing, and more and more children end up in hospital. Since the beginning of the month, the number of hospital admissions for people under the age of 18 has quadrupled. Half of these patients are less than 5 years old. Under 5s are not allowed to be vaccinated in the United States.
In New York one can also observe the fatal consequences of the many infections for the infrastructure. Last week, 2,700 police officers did not come to work due to illness. In Seattle, too, only a third of the police are currently on duty because of Omikron. There is enormous pressure on the remaining emergency services, with overtime and canceled Fridays.
The same applies to hospital staff and emergency services. As a result of the stress, the number of redundancies in the healthcare sector is increasing, which is compounding the shortage of staff. For the near future, bottlenecks are also expected in the catering and retail sectors. On Monday, the Mayor of New York, Bill de Blasio, announced the city’s strictest private-sector regulations to date. From now on, employers must be able to prove that their employees have received at least one vaccination.
With the exception of New York, the front runner, the number of infections is skyrocketing, especially in the capital Washington, Massachusetts, Hawaii, New Jersey, Puerto Rico and Florida. New York and Hawaii have recorded more cases in the past week than any seven-day period since the pandemic began. Hundreds of National Guard members serve in hospitals and nursing homes in the state of Massachusetts. In Puerto Rico, passengers arriving on a domestic flight now also have to show a negative test result. Similar travel restrictions are also being discussed in other states.
Bottleneck in booster vaccine
Another problem is the lack of booster vaccinations. After the campaign for the third vaccination in New York got off to a good start, it soon stalled. In particular for the gvulnerable residents of nursing homes there is a lack of vaccine, as the “New York Times” reports. In general, only about 20 percent of Americans have received a booster vaccination, and 60 percent have been vaccinated two or three times.
The test centers are also overwhelmed with the inquiries. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top corona advisor, admitted that there were too few testing facilities in the country and promised a remedy for the coming month.