Audio By Carbonatix
On February 25, Governor Jared Polis, who’d confirmed his reelection bid just a week earlier, held a press conference at which he declared the state’s COVID-19 health emergency to be over for the second time; he’d made pretty much the same announcement last July, before the rise of the Delta and Omicron variants. And once again, he said that Coloradans could go back to living life as “normal.”
But what does normal look like in what Polis repeatedly referred to as “the next chapter”? In answering this question, Gabi Johnston, speaking for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and the Colorado Joint Information Center, which is coordinating communication in regard to COVID, makes it clear that this new normal is a bit different from the one we knew just over two years ago, when the virus was first discovered in the state.
During the two weeks-plus since Polis’s announcement, COVID cases and hospitalizations in Colorado have plummeted; March 13 was the first day since the earliest stage of the pandemic that no patient was admitted to a medical center in the state for the disease. But even with these optimistic developments, Johnston stresses that catching COVID still shouldn’t be treated like any other seasonal bug.
Westword asked: “If an individual has symptoms that are often associated with COVID-19, including a cough or a low-grade fever, does the CDPHE believe that a COVID test no longer needs to be taken and that individuals can treat such symptoms as they might ordinary cold or flu? Or does the CDPHE still want folks to take a test to confirm a COVID-19 diagnosis and report it to the department?”
Johnston’s response: “Anyone, regardless of vaccination status, who experiences COVID-19 symptoms should get tested and isolate. That is one of the key strategies for slowing disease transmission. Labs are required to report every test – positive and negative – to CDPHE. This will include all PCR tests. Individuals with rapid antigen should report their results to CDPHE, their local public health agency or their health-care provider. Getting tested early is also important, because some people may qualify for treatment such as monoclonal antibodies or antiviral medication, which can help prevent severe disease, especially in people who are at high risk.”
She adds, “The best protection against COVID-19 is to be up to date on vaccinations, including the third dose.”
The next questions: “If an individual has the sort of symptoms described above and either does or doesn’t take a test to confirm a COVID diagnosis, does she or he no longer need to quarantine for a set number of days? Should such a person simply wait until she or he feels better to go out and about again, as they would with a normal cold or flu? Or should people still quarantine if such symptoms pop up – and especially if they test positive for COVID? And after the symptoms ease, can they skip masking, as they would with a normal cold or flu? Or does the CDPHE still recommend masking for a certain length of time – and if so, for how long?”
The answer: “Isolation and quarantine recommendations have not changed, and masking is an important piece of both strategies to prevent transmission. We urge Coloradans to continue to do their part to slow the spread of COVID-19. Individuals who test positive for COVID-19 or have symptoms of COVID-19 should isolate for at least five days.”
According to the department’s COVID website, she notes, individuals can stop isolating after five full days “if they tested positive but don’t have any symptoms, if they have mild symptoms but are starting to feel better and don’t have a fever, or if their first day of isolation was the first full day they started feeling symptoms or tested positive.”
Testing “is not required to stop isolation,” Johnston continues. “If you have access to a test and want to test, the best approach is to use an antigen test, such as a rapid at-home test, toward the end of the five-day isolation period if you do not have symptoms or are fever-free and your symptoms are improving. If your result is positive, you should continue to isolate until after day ten. If the result is negative, you can stop isolating after five days.”
But further precautions should be taken for five more days, she maintains. Among them: “Wear a well-fitted mask around other people, both in your home and in public”; “Do not go to places where you are unable to wear a mask”; “Avoid eating and drinking around other people”; “Avoid contact with people who are at high risk for getting very sick from COVID-19”; and “Avoid travel.”
In other words, the 2022 version of normal doesn’t translate to treating COVID like a regular cold or case of the flu, especially for “unvaccinated individuals who have not contracted COVID-19,” Johnston says. “And some other people with immunocompromising conditions and underlying conditions are still at risk of serious illness if they contract COVID-19. They should continue to wear a mask in public indoor spaces and limit large gatherings.”
These recommendations may not fit the average Coloradan’s definition of “normal,” but Johnston believes that an adjustment in expectations is necessary. “We know COVID-19 will be part of our lives for the foreseeable future,” she says. “That does not mean we should stop taking common-sense precautions to protect ourselves and our loved ones. Individuals who are up to date on their vaccinations can generally return to their normal lives, depending on their comfort level. But if they contract COVID-19 or develop symptoms, they should still isolate for at least five days.”
Meanwhile, she adds, “As vaccinated Coloradans can return to living life normally, they can rest assured knowing that the state is monitoring disease trends and prepared to surge in response to a new wave if necessary.”
Welcome to the new normal.
