What originally was 10 days of isolation after initial contact with someone who tested positive for COVID has turned into five days of isolation, and upon reentry into civilization, five more days of wearing a mask. To complicate matters further, the CDC has also introduced an option to test out of isolation if a test is readily available (which in the United States is currently not the case).
These changes, which started as guidance focused on health care personnel before it was suggested to the general public, give reason to suspect the agency was motivated by pressure from the business community rather than consideration of the science.
For us as physicians steeped in empirical evidence, to think that our health and the health of our patients potentially could be compromised because of business interests feels like a serious blow, undermining even our confidence in the agency.
But perhaps we all saw this coming.
Throughout the pandemic, we have seen how inconsistent messaging around COVID has fueled doubt around science, giving place to consistently messaged misinformation that has found its way into communities all across America.
