The changes come as new, highly contagious variants spread rapidly through the country - including in North Texas, where several counties have high community transmission according to the CDC.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention unveiled significant changes Thursday as part of a sweeping effort to overhaul the agency'sThe changes come as new, highly contagious variants spread rapidly through the country. In many North Texas counties, the CDC says, transmission levels are high. That includes Tarrant, Dallas, Collin, Parker, Johnson, Ellis, Kaufman, Rockwall, Hunt, Van Zandt, and Henderson Counties.
And the CDC says that"to limit social and economic impacts, quarantine of exposed persons is no longer recommended, regardless of vaccination status." "It's really about kind of how people can understand how all of these components fit together. It starts with people understanding their own personal risk, for serious illness, and that of their loved ones."
Detailed recommendations are expected to be updated and"streamlined" over the coming days, including for travel, nursing homes, and other high-risk congregate settings. Massetti said the agency is continuing to reassess the performance of those metrics, but for now the agency has not"gotten any results that suggest a substantial change is warranted at this time."
Williams said the CDC has also moved over recent months to wind down a substantial share of its standalone pandemic response, integrating its COVID-19 activities into the agency's regular teams.