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The CDC's recently updated guidance on isolating and testing were tied to the public's increased interest in testing, Director Rochelle Walenksy, MD, said during a White House briefing in Wednesday.

Health officials recently shortened the recommended COVID-19 isolation and quarantine period from 10 days to 5, creating confusion amid an outbreak of the highly transmissible Omicron variant, which now accounts for 95 percent of cases in the U.S.

Then, in slightly updated guidance, the CDC recommended using an at-home antigen test after 5 days of isolation if possible, even though these tests having aren't as sensitive to the Omicron variant, according to the FDA.

"After we released our recs early last week, it became very clear people were interested in using the rapid test, though not authorized for this purpose after the end of their isolation period," Walensky said. "We then provided guidance on how they should be used."

Head over to Medscape to read the full story.