KYW Newsradio's Medical Reports are sponsored by Independence Blue Cross.
By Dr. Brian McDonough, Medical Editor
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The CDC has now changed the definition of close contact with a COVID-19 positive person.
Most of the treatments we have in medicine have been tested over time, but COVID-19, with its rapid rise and spread, has forced all of medicine to learn on the fly.
What we are seeing is the way evidence-based decisions are made in real time.
Take exposure as an example: The CDC had previously defined a close contact as someone who spent at least 15 consecutive minutes within 6 feet of a confirmed coronavirus case.
The CDC changed this guidance and now says a close contact is someone who was within 6 feet of an infected individual for a total of 15 minutes or more over a 24 hour period.
What they are really saying is that time is a major factor, because the more time you spend with someone who is positive, the greater the chance for spread.
All the virus needs is an opportunity.
