If you test positive for COVID-19, you'll be advised to isolate for anywhere from five days to two weeks. It all depends on where you live.
The United States and the United Kingdom have slashed their recommended self-isolation periods for asymptomatic people — and more countries may soon follow suit, as the highly transmissible Omicron variant threatens to keep hospital staff and other key workers at home.
In the US, people can now leave isolation if they don't have symptoms after five days, followed by five days in which they should wear a mask around others. Last week, the UK cut the period to seven days for people who produce two consecutive negative lateral flow (rapid) tests.
READ MORE: Pharmacies around Australia face mass shortage of rapid antigen tests
It comes amid record-setting case figures in both nations, and marks the first time since Omicron emerged that major countries have diverged from the World Health Organisation's recommended 10-day isolation period.
But most countries still follow the 10-day marker, while others, such as Germany, require up to 14 days in isolation. The disparities have led some to wonder exactly when, and how long, people are infectious with the Omicron variant.
READ MORE: Stark warning from man whose skin cancer spread to brain
The moves were made amid worries over the availability of key workers.
"If you are asymptomatic and you are infected, we want to get people back to their jobs — particularly those with essential jobs — to keep our society running smoothly," Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told CNN this week.
But there is some emerging data behind the changes as well. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said their decision was "motivated by science demonstrating that the majority of SARS-CoV-2 transmission occurs early in the course of illness, generally in the 1-2 days prior to onset of symptoms and the 2-3 days after."
An early CDC study, released on Tuesday, examined an Omicron cluster in Nebraska and found that the time between exposure and infection — known as the incubation period — may be around three days. That's shorter than the Delta strain, which studies estimate has a four-day incubation period.
READ MORE: The strangest road rules of 2021
A similar study of a Christmas party in Norway in which dozens became infected found comparable results.
"There is accumulating evidence, for vaccinated people, that if we are asymptomatic we are very unlikely to be infectious after about five to seven days," Brown University's Associate Dean of Public Health, Dr Megan Ranney, said on Tuesday.
Emerging evidence that Omicron may be less severe than Delta likely played a role in the moves too.
But the new guidelines have still prompted some debate in the medical community, with experts yet to fully understand Omicron.
"For the unvaccinated, the data doesn't really back up that you become non-infectious after five days," Dr Ranney said.
"I'm quite worried about these new recommendations."
She suggested having different guidance for unvaccinated people until more data comes in — which could also have the "added boost" of encouraging people to take up the vaccine if they haven't already.
Erin Bromage, a biology professor at UMass Dartmouth, added on CNN Wednesday that there is "absolutely no data that I am aware of" to support the switch in guidance.
He added that people can still test positive on antigen tests up to seven or eight days after their initial test, even if they don't have symptoms. Unlike the UK, where antigen tests are more plentiful, the US guidance is not dependent on getting a negative result.
Omicron is nonetheless tearing through workforces in several countries, and it's likely more nations will shorten their isolation periods in the new year if the burden on hospitals grows.
"With the sheer volume of new cases, one of the things we want to be careful of is that we don't have so many people out," Dr Fauci said.
READ NOW: Extreme weather events Australia faced in 2021
Impact of COVID-19 in Latin America eases
Many countries in Latin America were hit with soaring COVID-19 death rates early in the pandemic, as coronavirus raged throughout the region.
The tide is turning in many Latin American nations today, where vaccination rates are outpacing countries in Europe and North America and helping drive down deaths, Tim Lister writes.
The vaccine rollout was slow at the start, with just getting the vaccines in hand a major issue. Just six months ago, Latin America and the Caribbean were reporting just under half of all COVID-19 related deaths worldwide.
Now, the region accounts for about 10 per cent of global COVID-19 related deaths, according to the latest data from Johns Hopkins University. That's due to the accelerated delivery of European, American, Chinese and homegrown vaccines that a number of Latin American nations have received in the second half of this year, according to Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) data.
One reason for those successful vaccination campaigns can be chalked up to history: many countries in Latin America have long-standing and trusted national inoculation drives against other diseases, such as polio.
READ NOW: How Australia faced the emergence of the Omicron variant
It's time to upgrade your mask
As the Omicron variant continues to spread, some experts say it's past time to reconsider your face mask options, especially if you're still wearing the cloth variety.
"Cloth masks are little more than facial decorations. There's no place for them in light of Omicron," said CNN Medical Analyst Dr Leana Wen, an emergency physician and visiting professor of health policy and management at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health.
Ideally, in crowded places, "you should be wearing a KN95 or N95 mask," which can be as inexpensive as a few dollars each, Dr Wen added.
By having a better fit and certain materials — such as polypropylene fibres acting as both mechanical and electrostatic barriers — these masks better prevent tiny particles from getting into your nose or mouth and must be fitted to your face to function properly.
