CDC director confronted about 'confusing' guidance on isolation, testing

During Friday's airing of the "Today Show" on NBC, host Savannah Guthrie confronted Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky about the confusion surrounding the change in isolation guidelines.

"As you well know, the CDC has really been under fire for these isolation guidelines how long someone needs to stay home once they've been infected," said Guthrie. "First the guidance was 10 days, then you shortened it to five days but said a test wasn't necessary. Now you say if you can find a test, go ahead and have a test."

"With all due respect and understanding to the changing and volatile nature of this virus, why is the guidance so confusing? And I just have to say the American Medical Association said the new recommendations on quarantine and isolation from the CDC are not only confusing but are risking further spread of the virus. How do you respond?" Guthrie asked.

"So for many months, years, we had isolation and quarantine guidance that said 10 days and we are now standing on the shoulders of years of science that has demonstrated that if you are infected, you are most contagious in the one to two days prior to your symptoms and the two to three days after your symptoms," Walensky responded, thanking Guthrie for the "opportunity to clarify."

"So we know that the vast majority of your contagiousness by day five is really behind you," she continued.

"So in this moment where we're evaluating the science and looking at the epidemiology of the disease, we said five days of isolation and then, are you feeling better? Is your cough gone? If your symptoms are gone, we say you're OK to come out of that isolation, but you really do need to wear a mask all of the time," Walensky added.

Walensky continued on to note that she has a "deep respect" for the American Medical Association, and has viewed their statement, but "what I will say is we've gotten a lot of support from our partners in our public health spheres, in our clinical spheres, and in, you know, in our laboratory spheres as well."

"We have heard people who are interested in getting and doing a test they have access to a test they want to know how to interpret it. And when we updated our recommendations just this week, we provided guidance for how you interpret that test. if you so choose to do take that extra step at the end of your isolation," Walensky said.

While the CDC has changed its recommended guidelines for self-isolation and quarantine, some states are bucking the new recommendation and implementing stricter measures to leave isolation.

In the state of California, people who are test positive for COVID-19 and are required to quarantine must take an antigen test on the fifth day or later that comes back negative.

It is also recommended that those who are not fully vaccinated who are exposed to the disease should also "stay home for at least five days and also get an antigen test on day five."