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The Michigan Department of Health & Human Services (MDHHS) will not adopt shorter isolation times for COVID-positive individuals, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the agency's latest guidance, until more data is released.
In a statement issued Wednesday night, MDHHS said it "intends to review the supporting evidence behind this guidance, while awaiting additional information from the CDC, specifically for special populations and in high-risk settings."
"In the interim, MDHHS will retain current quarantine and isolation guidelines including guidelines for K-12 and congregate care settings," the department announced. "MDHHS will update Michigan's guidance when additional information becomes available from the CDC."
An MDHHS spokesperson told Newsweek that while the department doesn't have an exact timeline for when more information will come from federal officials, it hopes more evidence will be published "very soon."
MDHHS' tough stance on keeping self-isolation time to 10 days—rather than halving the period to 5 days for asymptomatic people, as recommended by the CDC this week—comes as Michigan breaks a new pandemic record for the highest number of daily cases.
On Wednesday, state health officials reported a two-day increase of 25,858 confirmed cases—an average of 12,929 cases per day.
According to an analysis from the Detroit Free Press, the previous single-day high in Michigan was 9,779 cases back on November 20, 2020—months before COVID-19 vaccines became available to the public.
Amid the latest surge in cases, which have been driven by the highly contagious Omicron variant, Michigan's positivity rate rose above 28 percent following the Christmas weekend. The rate had been steadily climbing over November but stopped short of surpassing 20 percent, remaining in the mid to high teens.
The state was particularly hit hard by the Delta variant in the fall, reporting an alarming increase in hospitalizations and deaths as well as more breakthrough cases in vaccinated individuals.
"The delta variant has already fueled the current surge in COVID cases and hospitalizations. The high transmissibility of the omicron variant underscores the importance of Michiganders practicing the COVID mitigation practices that are known to reduce spread and risk," MDHHS said on Wednesday.
"Ensuring that as many Michiganders as possible are vaccinated is the best protection available against additional variants of concern and reduces the strain on hospitals," the department added.
Under Michigan's existing isolation protocols, individuals who are showing symptoms or have tested positive for COVID-19 should isolate for 10 days following the onset of symptoms. The same applies for asymptomatic, COVID-positive residents.
State officials recommend that fully vaccinated people who have been exposed to the virus do not need to quarantine but should get a test five to seven days after exposure and should continue wearing a mask for two weeks after.
Unvaccinated people who have been exposed have been instructed to self-isolate for 14 days following exposure.
Comparably, under the guidance issued by the CDC on Monday, those who are not vaccinated or do not have their booster shot only have to quarantine for five days and wear a mask for another additional five days.
Per the new recommendations, vaccinated and boosted individuals who have been exposed can also forgo quarantine but have been advised to wear a mask for the 10 days following exposure.
Update 12/31/21 2:39 p.m. ET: This story was updated with a comment from MDHHS.
About the writer
Katherine Fung is a Newsweek senior reporter based in New York City. She has covered U.S. politics and culture extensively. ... Read more