Local parents react to CDC's changing COVID-19 guidelines
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention unveiled significant changes Thursday as part of a sweeping effort to overhaul the agency's COVID-19 guidance.
Doctors said that the CDC's move is a way for everyone to adapt to the fact that COVID is here to stay.
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Still, the changes to the guidelines are significant, even for kids heading back to school, and while some parents excited, others remain concerned about safety.
"I feel like now it's more on me as a parent to make sure she's safe," Danette Willhelm said of her daughter.
According to the CDC, the newest announcement on COVID guidelines shifts to decisions by individuals on things like quarantining and vaccine status. Regular testing for people without COVID symptoms was also taken off the guidance list.
Officials at the center said 95% of people of Americans have some form of immunity, either from vaccinations or infection.
"We're in a different place now with boosters, with antivirals, monoclonal antibodies," emergency room physician Dr. Michael Daignault told CBSLA. "Things are much different with how we can keep people out of the hospital. I think you're seeing that focus trickle down to classrooms, workplaces and the rest of society."
Daignault said that sickness from COVID has become more manageable and fewer people are ending up in the hospital.
"Vaccinated, plus an infection, hybrid immunity is very strong and I finally see that the CDC is recognizing that," he added.
According to the new guidelines, anyone exposed to an infected person no longer needs to quarantine. It's recommended they wear a high-quality mask and test after five days, if they're symptom free, and that change is recommended for schools too.
"Test to stay," as it was called, is no longer recommended.
So as long as an exposed student stays symptom free, they can remain in class regardless of vaccination status.
"We all have different opinions, so I don't know. It's really a hard topic," parent Esmeralda Jimenez said.
She also said that the whole thing is a bit overwhelming as she sends her daughter, Emily, into the sixth grade next week.
"That's always going to be in the back of your head. This is something we're going to have to learn to live with," she told CBSLA.
As for Willhelm, she said she's still worried, but that she accepts the evolving post-COVID world.
"I get that we need to be safe. We care for an elderly grandparent, so it's scary, but I also get the need to move on to normalcy," she said.
Both Dr. Daignault and the CDC still recommend vaccinations and boosters. The CDC is also expected to update guidance on travel, nursing homes and other high-risk situations in the next few days.
