Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

January 8, 2021

Assessment of Day-7 Postexposure Testing of Asymptomatic Contacts of COVID-19 Patients to Evaluate Early Release from Quarantine — Vermont, May–November 2020

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Following a policy change to shorten the duration of quarantine for people exposed to SARS-CoV-2 who remained asymptomatic and tested negative by PCR at day 7, an analysis did not identify any contacts who tested positive within the subsequent week. Among 940 contacts of people with COVID-19 who tested negative seven days after exposure, 154 (16%) had a subsequent test within days 8-14 after exposure; of these, 152 (99%) remained negative, and two (1%) had results that were indeterminate. The authors conclude that the analysis, conducted by the Vermont Department of Health, suggests that the state’s policy of allowing asymptomatic contacts of known cases to end their quarantine after a negative PCR test on or after day seven after exposure was effective.

Jones et al. (Jan 8, 2021). Assessment of Day-7 Postexposure Testing of Asymptomatic Contacts of COVID-19 Patients to Evaluate Early Release from Quarantine — Vermont, May–November 2020. MMWR. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7001a3