Did You Get COVID Over the Holidays? , Here's What You Should Know.
Did the Omicron variant catch up with you during the holiday season this year?.
If so, you may have some questions.
Health experts have the answers:.
Should I Isolate? .
Health officials say you should follow
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines.
They base those guidelines on, now, two years of observations about what it means
to be contagious. , Dr. Graham Snyder, medical director at
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, via CNN.
Experts say after ten days, if symptoms have improved and your fever has subsided, you are probably no longer contagious.
Am I Immune Now?.
Coronavirus infections provide a share of natural immunity, but health experts say
it isn't so simple.
We often talk about
immunity to this virus
as if it's a yes or no thing. , Dr. Myron Cohen, director of global health and infectious diseases at
UNC School of Medicine, via CNN.
You're either immune
or you're not.
But Mother Nature
rarely operates like that. , Dr. Myron Cohen, director of global health and infectious diseases at
UNC School of Medicine, via CNN.
Experts say while a COVID-19 infection does create a high viral load that combats future encounters with the virus, nothing is 100%.
I wouldn't rely on it
for 100% protection. , Dr. Graham Snyder, medical director at
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, via CNN.
Unvaccinated
and Recovered,
Do I Still Need a Shot?.
Experts say vaccines offer a higher immune response in the case of Omicron than a natural response, though it's not totally clear why.
Continued COVID-19 research shows reinfection is more likely to occur in those with natural immunity, as opposed to those who had received a vaccine.
We encourage anybody...to still get vaccinated because vaccination helps the body prepare by making a more robust set of antibodies. , Dr. Graham Snyder, medical director at
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, via CNN