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