A University of Kentucky study involving close to a hundred students indicates the time period of coronavirus related quarantining could be shortened on the Lexington campus.
The Centers for Disease Control initially recommended a 14 day quarantine for asymptomatic people who were exposed to the virus. The CDC has modified that to now say ten and even seven days can be sufficient in certain cases. Principal Investigator Jill Kolesar says their study revealed a similar finding. “Between day seven and day 14, no students turned positive or had positive results after day seven. So, our interpretation of that is that we can reduce the quarantine period from 14 days to seven days,” said Kolesar.
Kolesar said a relatively small percentage of students during the first semester at UK fully complied with a 14 day quarantine. She noted a move to shorten the quarantine period could help reduce the number of students struggling with isolation, anxiety, or depression.?
Kolesar said shortening the quarantine period from 14 to seven days is not going to be 100% effective in preventing transmission. She added based on the study with real data it’s anticipated to be 90% effective. UK Spokesman Jay Blanton said several thousand students were quarantined during the fall semester with nearly 50,000 students tested.
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