TY - JOUR T1 - COVID-19 and isolation: Risks and implications in the scenario of new variants JO - The Brazilian Journal of Infectious Diseases T2 - AU - Dias,Viviane Maria de Carvalho Hessel AU - Oliveira,Alexandre Ferreira AU - Marinho,Ana Karolina Barreto Berselli AU - Santos Ferreira,Carlos Eduardo dos AU - Domingues,Carlos Eduardo Ferreira AU - Fortaleza,Carlos Magno Castelo Branco AU - Vidal,Claudia Fernanda de Lacerda AU - Carrilho,Claudia Maria Dantas de Maio AU - Pinheiro,Debora Otero Britto Passos AU - de Assis,Denise Brandão AU - Medeiros,Eduardo Alexandrino AU - Morejón,Karen Mirna Loro AU - Weissmann,Leonardo AU - Michelin,Lessandra AU - Carneiro,Marcelo AU - Nogueira,Maria Dolores Santos da Purificação AU - de Oliveira,Priscila Rosalba Domingos AU - Buralli,Rafael Junqueira AU - Stucchi,Raquel Silveira Bello AU - Lins,Rodrigo Schrage AU - Costa,Silvia Figueiredo AU - Chebabo,Alberto SN - 14138670 M3 - 10.1016/j.bjid.2022.102703 DO - 10.1016/j.bjid.2022.102703 UR - https://bjid.org.br/en-covid-19-isolation-risks-implications-in-articulo-S1413867022003956 AB - With the emergence of new variants of SARS-CoV-2, questions about transmissibility, vaccine efficacy, and impact on mortality are important to support decision-making in public health measures. Modifications related to transmissibility combined with the fact that much of the population has already been partially exposed to infection and/or vaccination, have stimulated recommendations to reduce the isolation period for COVID-19. However, these new guidelines have raised questions about their effectiveness in reducing contamination and minimizing impact in work environments. Therefore, a collaborative task force was developed to review the subject in a non-systematic manner, answering questions about SARS-CoV-2 variants, COVID-19 vaccines, isolation/quarantine periods, testing to end the isolation period, and the use of masks as mitigation procedures. Overall, COVID-19 vaccines are effective in preventing severe illness and death but are less effective in preventing infection in the case of the Omicron variant. Any strategy that is adopted to reduce the isolation period should take into consideration the epidemiological situation of the geographical region, individual clinical characteristics, and mask for source control. The use of tests for isolation withdrawal should be evaluated with caution, due to results depending on various conditions and may not be reliable. ER -