WA Department of Health updates guidance for COVID-19, RSV and the flu. Here’s what to know
The Washington State Department of Health has announced new guidance for those who contract COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses.
Previous guidance recommended that people who tested positive for COVID-19 isolate for at least five full days after symptoms appeared. According to a Monday news release from the DOH, the state now recommends people return to normal activities when their symptoms are improving overall, and they haven’t had a fever without having to use fever-reducing medication for at least 24 hours.
There also are new guidelines on preventing the spread of infection to high-risk individuals, such as older adults and people with weakened immune systems.
They include staying away from high-risk people for 10 days after symptoms start. Those who don’t develop symptoms should to stay away for 10 days after testing positive for COVID-19, or until testing negative.
The news release said people with COVID-19 can be contagious for five to 10 days after their illness has begun. For the flu, that period is five to seven days. For RSV, another respiratory illness, the period is three to eight days.
The DOH also recommends taking extra precautions during the first five days of feeling better and returning to normal activities. The state suggests people wear a mask, improve air flow and filtration in their space, frequently wash hands, clean regularly and keep a physical distance from others.
The news release said that while DOH’s new guidance provides baseline recommendations, Washington residents are asked to follow any local health jurisdiction, workplace, business or school policies.
The new guidance doesn’t apply to health care settings. Guidance for those settings can be found on the DOH’s website.
