WEBVTT - Rebound Covid Is Causing the CDC to Change Isolation Guidelines Once Again 0:00:00.040 --> 0:00:04.040 It's Friday, ma I'm Oscar Ramrrors from the Daily Dive 0:00:04.120 --> 0:00:09.160 podcast in Los Angeles, and this is reopening America rebound COVID. 0:00:09.520 --> 0:00:11.840 It's an issue that's been popping up for some getting sick, 0:00:12.080 --> 0:00:14.360 but it's also happening to people that were treated with 0:00:14.400 --> 0:00:17.480 the anti viral packs LEAD. Some are getting better and 0:00:17.520 --> 0:00:21.040 testing negative, only to rebound with symptoms and test positive 0:00:21.440 --> 0:00:24.640 after the illness has dissipated. This caused the CDC to 0:00:24.760 --> 0:00:28.159 change its guidelines and tell people with rebound symptoms to 0:00:28.280 --> 0:00:32.600 isolate for another five days. Karen Weintroub, health reporter at 0:00:32.720 --> 0:00:35.320 USA Today, joins us for What to Know. Thanks for 0:00:35.400 --> 0:00:38.279 joining us, Karen, thanks for having me. Well, let's talk 0:00:38.320 --> 0:00:41.920 about some latest developments with the COVID treatment packs LEAD. 0:00:42.000 --> 0:00:45.120 This is a anti viral that is made by Fiser. 0:00:45.600 --> 0:00:49.360 We're seeing some interesting things, some changing CDC guidelines. So 0:00:49.400 --> 0:00:53.240 I guess they're calling it packs levid rebound where people 0:00:53.400 --> 0:00:57.640 are taking the medication, maybe testing negative for COVID, then 0:00:57.640 --> 0:01:00.560 feeling kind of crummy a few days later, and testing 0:01:00.560 --> 0:01:03.240 positive all over again. And this is causing a little 0:01:03.280 --> 0:01:05.360 bit of changes to some of the CDC guidelines, saying 0:01:05.360 --> 0:01:08.560 that people should start isolating again for five days, I 0:01:08.600 --> 0:01:11.200 think if they do start testing positive. So, Karen, what 0:01:11.200 --> 0:01:13.720 are we seeing with all of this? Right? What I 0:01:13.720 --> 0:01:16.399 actually didn't realize until I started reporting this is this 0:01:16.480 --> 0:01:19.319 post COVID rebound has been a thing all along. A 0:01:19.360 --> 0:01:22.959 small percentage of people have apparently recovered from COVID, even 0:01:23.000 --> 0:01:25.440 tested negative for a couple of days and then got 0:01:25.480 --> 0:01:29.720 symptoms again, and often tested positive. So doctor I spoke 0:01:29.760 --> 0:01:31.800 to said he's seen this and maybe two or three 0:01:31.840 --> 0:01:35.000 or four percent of his patients all along since. So 0:01:35.120 --> 0:01:37.200 what's not clear is whether what we're seeing with this 0:01:37.319 --> 0:01:40.119 drug is specific to the drug, if it's more people 0:01:40.319 --> 0:01:42.319 on the drugs who are getting this, or if it's 0:01:42.360 --> 0:01:45.000 just the same thing that we're seeing normally. But because 0:01:45.040 --> 0:01:48.440 people are tracking themselves more carefully that we're becoming more 0:01:48.480 --> 0:01:51.160 aware of it in connection with taxtlment. Yeah, it's pretty 0:01:51.160 --> 0:01:54.040 interesting because I mean, I went two and a half 0:01:54.120 --> 0:01:57.520 years not going right, without getting sick with anything or 0:01:57.560 --> 0:02:00.080 even getting COVID, and it recently caught up with me 0:02:00.240 --> 0:02:02.160 and they kind of keeped my butt, you know. But 0:02:02.600 --> 0:02:04.960 I was contemplating should I go to the doctor and 0:02:05.000 --> 0:02:07.440 maybe get some of course, of these anti vitals. I 0:02:07.520 --> 0:02:10.679 decided against it only because I wanted to tough it out. 0:02:10.720 --> 0:02:12.160 You know, I didn't think I needed it. It It wasn't 0:02:12.200 --> 0:02:14.360 that bad. But then, yeah, you go back and you 0:02:14.400 --> 0:02:16.720 start seeing these things. But so tell me about what 0:02:16.720 --> 0:02:19.040 the CDC said, because they're changing some of the guidelines, 0:02:19.040 --> 0:02:21.400 saying you should isolate again if if you get that 0:02:21.440 --> 0:02:24.560 rebound right. One of the open questions has been when 0:02:24.560 --> 0:02:27.040 you have COVID, should you test before you go back 0:02:27.040 --> 0:02:29.680 out into the world. So I recently had COVID. Also, 0:02:29.840 --> 0:02:32.320 I was testing positive on a rapid test for eleven 0:02:32.400 --> 0:02:34.960 days after I had COVID, and I was very careful 0:02:34.960 --> 0:02:36.959 in that time frame, even though after five I was 0:02:37.000 --> 0:02:39.600 allowed out in public. I was very vigilant about a 0:02:39.600 --> 0:02:42.200 mask and I really did try to avoid enclosed spaces 0:02:42.280 --> 0:02:44.680 for those eleven days. But in the past, the CDC 0:02:44.840 --> 0:02:47.359 has said five days of isolation is enough. Then wear 0:02:47.400 --> 0:02:49.720 your mask for another five and then you're good with 0:02:49.840 --> 0:02:52.600 pastuate it. Because people are testing so much, they're seeing 0:02:52.880 --> 0:02:56.160 that they are going negative and then positive again. CDC 0:02:56.320 --> 0:02:59.160 says if that happens, you should start the isolation period 0:02:59.280 --> 0:03:02.200 all over again. And but honestly, we just don't know. 0:03:02.800 --> 0:03:05.480 There's not enough data to really say. There's one study 0:03:05.520 --> 0:03:09.200 that found that somebody had this rebound infected their family members, 0:03:09.680 --> 0:03:12.960 So it's possible to be contagious with this rebound in 0:03:13.000 --> 0:03:15.600 most cases, I don't think that. I've asked several people. 0:03:15.639 --> 0:03:18.239 They said they've never heard of a hospitalization from a rebound. 0:03:18.440 --> 0:03:20.600 It seems to be sort of a lesser symptom, or 0:03:20.720 --> 0:03:22.880 your body is just getting rid of the last dregs 0:03:22.960 --> 0:03:25.480 of the virus. So it's just not clear how dangerous 0:03:25.760 --> 0:03:28.560 that period is. But in an abundance of caution, CDC 0:03:28.760 --> 0:03:30.800 is saying that you should isolate if you're positive, right, 0:03:30.840 --> 0:03:32.720 And that's one and that's one of the criticisms that 0:03:32.760 --> 0:03:35.240 comes out of it. Right, should we be changing public 0:03:35.280 --> 0:03:37.960 policy because of this? I guess, as you mentioned, right, 0:03:38.080 --> 0:03:41.000 the study that was cited by the CDC was really 0:03:41.040 --> 0:03:43.720 just a report of a single case of a rebounding 0:03:43.720 --> 0:03:47.560 patient passing on the virus. Is that enough to apply 0:03:47.640 --> 0:03:50.440 that to everybody? I guess when you're being super cautious, yes, 0:03:50.520 --> 0:03:54.640 But again the criticism is should that be changing public policy? 0:03:54.800 --> 0:03:56.280 And again, I mean some of it is common sense 0:03:56.360 --> 0:03:59.119 versus public policy. You know, if you're testing positive, there's 0:03:59.120 --> 0:04:01.400 a chance or contage us. If you can possibly stay 0:04:01.440 --> 0:04:03.360 home and avoid other people, it just seems like the 0:04:03.440 --> 0:04:06.360 sensible thing to do. Not everybody can afford the test 0:04:06.560 --> 0:04:08.920 or can afford to stay home. In those cases, people 0:04:08.920 --> 0:04:11.800 should be really vigilant about wearing a mask until they're 0:04:11.840 --> 0:04:14.560 sure they're not contagious. Yeah, one of the things when 0:04:14.600 --> 0:04:16.800 the paxel it it came out, obviously, right everybody is 0:04:16.839 --> 0:04:19.599 saying it was a huge breakthrough, miraculous that it was 0:04:20.080 --> 0:04:22.960 so effective, right, cutting the risk of hospitalizations and death 0:04:23.000 --> 0:04:26.760 by everybody was way on board. But you know, now 0:04:26.760 --> 0:04:29.000 we have the stories about the rebound. As you said, 0:04:29.000 --> 0:04:32.120 it's happening with people that aren't even taking paxilvid. But 0:04:32.120 --> 0:04:33.680 we're also I tell me, if you've heard of this, 0:04:33.800 --> 0:04:36.839 people are calling a pax leaved mouth, also complaining of 0:04:36.839 --> 0:04:39.760 a like a bitter, metallic taste. Somebody said it was 0:04:39.800 --> 0:04:42.800 like grapefruit mixed with soap that they're getting when when 0:04:42.800 --> 0:04:45.000 they're on the drug. I mean, those kinds of side 0:04:45.000 --> 0:04:47.760 effects are fairly typical with drugs, I think with certain drugs, 0:04:47.760 --> 0:04:50.719 so I'm not surprised by that. And everything you said 0:04:50.760 --> 0:04:53.640 about tax Levid is still true. It's very effective at 0:04:53.640 --> 0:04:56.839 preventing hospitalizations. The real world data seems to be holding 0:04:57.000 --> 0:04:59.160 to be exactly repeating what they saw on the trials, 0:04:59.200 --> 0:05:01.120 So all of that is true. It's still a great 0:05:01.200 --> 0:05:03.520 drug if you're at high risk. I think some of 0:05:03.520 --> 0:05:06.160 the differences that were now so many more people are 0:05:06.200 --> 0:05:08.480 taking it now. You know, it's not just the people 0:05:08.480 --> 0:05:11.120 who are you know, compromised or over or six five 0:05:11.200 --> 0:05:13.760 who are taking it, but even people like you, who 0:05:13.800 --> 0:05:16.320 are mostly healthy who are considering it. So I think 0:05:16.360 --> 0:05:18.480 that maybe some of the explanation is just that so 0:05:18.480 --> 0:05:20.640 many more people are taking it that we're seeing, you know, 0:05:20.680 --> 0:05:23.920 the variation that's typical with with any drug or any situation, 0:05:24.200 --> 0:05:27.440 right exactly, because the administration started those tests to treat 0:05:27.520 --> 0:05:30.200 programs right where you if you get to test any 0:05:30.279 --> 0:05:32.920 test positive, they might send you home immediately with that stuff. 0:05:32.960 --> 0:05:34.480 So you're right, a lot of people are, a lot 0:05:34.520 --> 0:05:36.760 more people are taking it, and we're starting to see 0:05:36.760 --> 0:05:38.760 a little bit more of the real world effects of 0:05:38.800 --> 0:05:41.520 what's going on. And again it's great. I don't want 0:05:41.520 --> 0:05:42.960 to be in a hospital, you know, I mean, I 0:05:42.960 --> 0:05:45.200 think it's terrific if it's saving people from from being 0:05:45.240 --> 0:05:47.880 in the hospital. But the more marginal benefit you get, 0:05:47.960 --> 0:05:49.719 the more of these side effects matter. You know, if 0:05:49.760 --> 0:05:51.960 you weren't gonna end up in a hospital anyway, then 0:05:52.000 --> 0:05:53.960 maybe having allows you taste in your mouth and having 0:05:53.960 --> 0:05:56.920 to isolate for an extra few days the bigger burden. 0:05:57.080 --> 0:05:59.000 And those are just things that we're learning as as 0:05:59.080 --> 0:06:01.160 we see this drug in app action. All right, well, 0:06:01.160 --> 0:06:03.279 we'll keep an eye out for how things develop with 0:06:03.320 --> 0:06:05.200 packs LVID. I know it's helping a lot of people 0:06:05.240 --> 0:06:08.159 still in the long run, as you mentioned. Karen Weintraub, 0:06:08.360 --> 0:06:10.760 health reporter at USA Today, thank you very much for 0:06:10.880 --> 0:06:16.000 joining us. Thank you so much. I'm Oscar Ramirez and 0:06:16.040 --> 0:06:19.240 this has been reopening America. Don't forget the effort. Today's 0:06:19.279 --> 0:06:20.720 big news stories. You can check me out in the 0:06:20.800 --> 0:06:24.080 Daily Dive podcast every mondy through Friday, so follow us 0:06:24.080 --> 0:06:26.680 on iHeart Radio or wherever you get your podcast.