From the Guidelines
The current recommendation for COVID-19 isolation is to isolate for at least 10 days after COVID-19 symptom onset, along with fever resolution for 24 hours without antipyretics and improvement in other symptoms, before ending home isolation and returning to work, as patients are unlikely to be infectious after this point. This is based on the guidance provided by the National Psoriasis Foundation COVID-19 Task Force 1. The task force recommends that patients with psoriatic disease who become infected with SARS-CoV-2 should follow CDC guidance on home isolation and discuss with their healthcare providers when they can end home isolation.
Some key points to consider when determining the length of home isolation include:
- Fever resolution for 24 hours without antipyretics
- Improvement in other symptoms
- The patient is unlikely to be infectious after 10 days
- For patients with severe cases of COVID-19 or when psoriasis patients are on medications with immunosuppressive effects, a case-by-case approach to determining the length of home isolation is recommended 1.
It's also important to note that the virus primarily spreads through respiratory droplets when an infected person breathes, talks, coughs, or sneezes, so physical separation helps prevent transmission to others. Other studies, such as the one published in the World Journal of Emergency Surgery 1 and Anaesthesia 1, provide additional guidance on the management of COVID-19 patients, but the most recent and highest quality study, 1, provides the most relevant guidance on the length of home isolation.
In terms of specific guidance, the study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology 1 provides the most relevant information, and isolation for at least 10 days is recommended for those with severe COVID-19 or weakened immune systems. However, for most patients, isolation can be ended after 10 days, as long as symptoms have improved and fever has resolved.
From the Research
Isolation Duration for Covid
The provided studies do not directly address the question of how long to isolate for Covid. However, they do discuss the treatment and management of Covid-19 using oral antivirals such as molnupiravir and nirmatrelvir-ritonavir.
Key Points
- The studies focus on the efficacy and safety of oral antivirals in treating mild to moderate Covid-19 in non-hospitalized patients who are at high risk of progressing to severe Covid-19 2, 3, 4, 5.
- The antivirals should be prescribed within 5 days of symptom onset, and treatment typically lasts for 5 days 3, 5.
- The studies do not provide guidance on the duration of isolation for Covid-19 patients.
Treatment and Management
- Molnupiravir and nirmatrelvir-ritonavir have shown efficacy in preventing disease progression in outpatients with Covid-19 2, 3, 4, 5.
- A randomized, controlled trial found that adding molnupiravir or nirmatrelvir-ritonavir to usual care was not associated with improvements in clinical outcomes for hospitalized patients with Covid-19 pneumonia 6.
Limitations
- The provided studies do not address the question of isolation duration for Covid-19.
- Further research is needed to determine the optimal duration of isolation for Covid-19 patients.