Catherine O’Neal, MD, Professor of Clinical Medicine at the LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine branch campus in Baton Rouge, is a co-author of a paper reporting that shortening quarantine length is due to COVID exposure when supported by a medium- quarantine test can increase compliance among college athletes without increasing risk. The results are published in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on January 8, 2021 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), available here.
CDC partnered with representatives from NCAA conferences to analyze overview data collected by participating colleges and universities. Unidentified data from a total of 620 athletes with positive SARS-CoV-2 test results during quarantine were included in a time-to-event study.
The analysis showed that nearly 49% of the positive test results occurred before day 2 of quarantine and before day 5 for 73% of the athletes. The favorable rate for all SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR tests administered decreased over the quarantine period. Among those who remained negative test results at day 5, the estimated probability of a positive test result was 26.9% after day 5, 14.2% after day 7, and 4.7% after day 10. Among the 29 athletes who received positive test results during days 11-14, 89.7% were not previously tested during their quarantine period.
The researchers noted that despite the potential risk of transmission from a close, intimate connection associated with athletic activity, more athletes reported being exposed to COVID-19 at social gatherings (40.7%) and from chamberlains (31.7%) what they did from exposures related to athletic activities (12.7%).
The revised quarantine guidance from CDC is an important step in reducing 14-day quarantine cruelty while maintaining public safety. A routine study for COVID-19 in athletes participating in NCAA college athletics provided the opportunity to critically assess quarantine time in the 20-year population. “
Dr. O’Neal, Infectious Diseases Specialist, Chief Medical Officer, Lady of the Lake Medical Center
The authors wrote that shortened quarantine alternatives (after day 10 without testing or after day 7 with a negative test result) were based on reduced risk of transmission over quarantine time (5). The results of this study support abbreviated quarantine options for collegiate athletes, as the low proportion of athletes who had positive test results after day 10.
Dr O’Neal, who is the LSU representative on the NCAA Southeastern Conference Committee on Return to Activity and Medical Management Action Group, concludes, “These data support the CDC’s new recommendation and clarify how quarantine test is important as an effective way to detect asymptomatic infections in this population. “
Source:
Louisiana State University Center for Health Sciences
Magazine Reference:
Atherstone, C., et al. (2021) Time from quarantine start to advanced SARS-CoV-2 test among Quarantined College and University athletes – 17 States, June-October 2020. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7001a2.