Biden just got covid. What are the latest coronavirus guidelines? – The Washington Post

President Biden tested positive for the coronavirus Wednesday, placing a renewed spotlight on covid-19 and the precautions the broader public can take as a summer wave of the disease sweeps over much of the United States.

In a statement, the White House said Biden is experiencing mild symptoms and plans to self-isolate at his home in Rehoboth Beach, Del., while continuing to work. The president, who previously tested positive for the coronavirus in 2022, told reporters he was doing well after landing at Dover Air Force Base late Wednesday.

President Biden arrived at Dover Air Force Base, as he headed back home to Rehoboth, Del., after testing positive for covid on July 17. (Video: The Washington Post)

Coronavirus levels in wastewater were considered high or very high in 26 states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported last week, but the nations approach to the pandemic has evolved significantly over the years meaning it can be difficult to determine how best to stay safe. Heres what to know.

When sick with symptoms of a respiratory virus, such as the coronavirus, the CDC advises individuals to stay home and isolate until both their overall symptoms have improved and they have been fever-free without using fever-reducing medication for 24 hours.

For five days after that, it recommends taking extra precautions such as wearing a mask, improving air circulation, physical distancing and testing. The CDC also recommends taking these precautions if covid is circulating widely in the community.

People who are asymptomatic do not need to stay home but should take those extra precautions, said Demetre Daskalakis, director of the CDCs National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.

If people do not have a fever, they should still isolate until their overall symptoms have improved for 24 hours, he said.

The stay-at-home guidance gets trickier when there are others in a household.

In that case, Daskalakis advises people with coronavirus to keep their distance from others if possible and to use additional precautions, such as masking or improving air circulation.

The currents coronavirus vaccines were developed with a formula targeting the defunct XBB variants but still offer some protection against the latest variants. An updated vaccine is expected in the late summer or fall.

Staying up to date with coronavirus vaccines significantly lowers the risk of getting very sick, being hospitalized, or dying from covid-19, the CDC says.

The CDC recommends adults 65 and older get a second dose of the current coronavirus vaccine, and everyone ages six months and older get the updated vaccine when it is available.

Experts say patients who have not recently been infected or vaccinated should consult their doctors about the trade-offs of getting an outdated shot for protection amid the summer covid wave or waiting for the new version expected to be available in the coming months.

While doctors are seeing far fewer hospitalizations for covid, older individuals remain at the highest risk and still can get quite ill, Tara Vijayan, an infectious diseases specialist at UCLA Health, wrote in an email, noting that taking antivirals early and getting vaccinated can mitigate that risk.

If an older adult tests positive, Vijayan recommends considering taking Paxlovid, which President Biden took Wednesday, or molnupiravir, which may have similar benefits. Doctors are divided on whether younger, otherwise healthy adults should take Paxlovid.

If people are charged for Paxlovid, which is no longer free, they can apply for support from patient assistance programs to cover out-of-pocket costs, or ask a provider or pharmacist to help.

For older adults looking to protect themselves, Vijayan said it is reasonable to consider masking indoors, especially in crowded or poorly ventilated spaces. She emphasized, however, that close family members are by far the most common source of infection.

Vijayan encourages relatives of older adults to take a test if they have signs of an upper respiratory tract infection and stay away from older family members until they are no longer contagious.

These days, most cases are caused by new KP variants, which are part of a group called FLiRT, and LB.1. They are more effective than their predecessors at infecting people who have some immunity from vaccines or previous infections. The new variants do not seem to cause more severe infections and deaths.

The new vaccines under development target the KP.2 strain, which is similar to the other commonly circulating variants.

Preeti Malani, an infectious-diseases physician at the University of Michigan, told The Washington Post earlier this month that the clinical difference is minor, if any.

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Biden just got covid. What are the latest coronavirus guidelines? - The Washington Post