Is COVID-19 Still a Pandemic?
Original article from The Brink by JESSICA COLAROSSI. March 4, 2024
Or is it becoming an endemic disease? A BU virologist, epidemiologist, and physician reflect on the status of the virus as the CDC cuts isolation period to 24 hours
First it was 14 days, then 10 days, to 7 days, then down to 5 days—the time we’re supposed to isolate after testing positive for COVID-19 has changed drastically since the start of the pandemic. And now the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has cut it to 24 hours, after a person is fever-free and symptoms are improving.
All of these changes, plus the widespread relaxation of mask policies in public places, begs the question: Are we still in a pandemic? Or has COVID-19 reached the endemic stage, meaning it’s here to stay, but not spreading out of control? The terminology can be confusing—for example, the World Health Organization still calls COVID-19 a pandemic, even after declaring an end to the public health emergency last spring.
The Brink asked three Boston University researchers—a virologist, an epidemiologist, and an emergency room physician—to explain the shifting status of COVID, how to decide when a virus has gone from a pandemic to endemic, how much people should protect themselves and others, and why language matters.
Click to read the full article at The Brink