Doctor on CDC adding testing to isolation guidelines: I've agreed virtually 100% with the CDC... this is one I would push back on

Dr. Michael Saag, Associate Dean for Global Health at University of Alabama at Birmingham, joins Yahoo Finance to discuss how Omicron is going to impact this new year. Plus, his thoughts on the CDC’s changing guidelines.

Video transcript

ADAM SHAPIRO: All right, we check COVID-19 situation every day here at Yahoo Finance because it does impact all kinds of issues when it comes to your investments and the economy. Let's get to Anjalee Khemlani because now we have the latest regarding vaccine protocols for people who are much younger when it comes time to getting their boosters, Anjalee?

ANJALEE KHEMLANI: That's right, Adam. We got FDA's word on the Pfizer vaccine specifically, and only, for those 12 to 15, they can, in fact, get a booster dose now. The FDA also actually shortened the timeline for those who are getting boosters, anyone ages 12 and up can now get it within five months after the initial course. And that is based on real-world data, including specifically from Israel. We know, we've been looking there for a lot of the hints on what direction to take. And the FDA decided that based on the waning immunity for these vaccines, five months is a more appropriate time span for that.

Meanwhile, we recall that last week the CDC shortened guidelines for isolation time, noting that instead of a full 10 weeks of isolation, individuals could do five days as well as following with masking for the remaining five days. Now in addition to that, based on a lot of pushback, there might be some contemplation going on about testing the way out of isolation. Dr. Anthony Fauci told ABC as much this weekend. Listen for a second.

ANTHONY FAUCI: You're right there has been some concern about why we don't ask people at that five-day period to get tested. That is something that is now under consideration. The CDC is very well aware that there has been some pushback about that. Looking at it again, there may be an option in that that testing could be a part of that. And I think we're going to be hearing more about that in the next day or so from the CDC.

ANJALEE KHEMLANI: So there you have it, in addition to the pushback from experts looking to the testing situation, there are some who believe that testing may not actually be the right choice based on how tests function as well as the ability to find really an infectious individual. So a lot to keep track of and we'll stay tuned. Back to you.

ADAM SHAPIRO: Anjalee, thank you very much. Let's continue this discussion on what comes next with Dr. Michael Saag, associate dean for global health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. It's good to have you here, doctor, and nice to see you again. What's the most important thing we should consider right now, those of us who are not only vaccinated but boosted with this Omicron variant. People can still get it and they can still die from it with that triple vax, right?

MICHAEL SAAG: Well, they can but it's really, really unlikely. The majority of people who are vaccinated and boosted have a mild illness and mostly with Omicron, it's sore throat, pretty severe, that lasts for about three or four days, and then it goes away. But very few people with Omicron are really going into the hospital unless they're unvaccinated.

At our hospital, we went from December 12th at about 12 patients to just yesterday 120 patients, that's a 900% increase. But interestingly, 42% of those cases in the hospital were incidentally found. That means when they were brought into the hospital for some other reason, everyone gets tested, and they were incidentally found to be positive. I think we're definitely seeing the spike in cases as witnessed by these numbers but you know, I think Omicron is not our threat, Delta is still out there and that's the major threat to people's health in my opinion.

EMILY MCCORMICK: Dr. Saag, this is Emily here. Thank you so much for your time. In terms of what Anjalee was breaking down, in terms of what Dr. Anthony Fauci and the White House is considering and the CDC in terms of testing for individuals exposed to COVID after the end of that five day period, what is your opinion on whether this testing should be taking place, what should the protocol be as we continue to get these evolving mandates and these evolving testing requirements from the government?

MICHAEL SAAG: Well, Emily, I'm in the camp that it's not a great idea to test for re-entry into the workforce for a couple of reasons. First off, we know from earlier data really, well-done studies, that while PCR and for that matter, antigen can remain positive for well after five days, the infectivity, the ability to culture infectious virus, basically disappears within five to seven days and the peak time is from about 12 hours before the onset of symptoms to about three days after. So that means for most people by day five, especially if they don't have symptoms, they're not shedding much virus, which is what led to the CDC making their claim.

The problem with testing our way out, number one, as I just mentioned, the test can remain positive for several days, maybe up to a couple of weeks after the illness has subsided. And yet there is no evidence whatsoever that that positive test translates into infectivity. And that's really what we're trying to prevent. And secondly, just from a common-sense approach, we don't have that many tests. I'd rather save those tests, use those tests for diagnosing people so they can go into isolation in the first place with a confirmed positive during those three days of peak infectivity. That's what we're really trying to prevent here. And just as an editorial comment, I've agreed virtually 100% with everything that the CDC and the government has put out. This is one if they issue that this is one I would push back on because I just don't think the logic is there.

One final point, I saw a lot of people, especially airline attendants and some health care workers pushing back on the five days. What I think they failed to appreciate is that it talked about people who are asymptomatic at day five, not those who are continuing to have fever and feel bad. Nobody wants them and they don't want to be back at work but I think that's what got lost in translation and drinking out of the fire hose of all this new information.

ADAM SHAPIRO: Oh, the joys of being a child in the '70s when you could drink out of a fire hose without having to wear a helmet. Let me ask you this question, real-world scenario, we were with family and friends Christmas Eve, literally very close, someone tested positive for COVID, we scrambled four days later for the PCR, negative, knock wood, antigen test since negative, and you hear stories too about people when you say hunker down right now. Someone in the household might have COVID, the other person never gets it. What's that about?

MICHAEL SAAG: Vaccination as a rule. For most of the people I think you're talking about, Adam, those are people who have been vaccinated and boosted. These vaccines really work, especially against preventing serious infection and death but they also prevent against actual symptoms. We don't know the exact percentage but it really does work, especially when people are boosted. I mean, I know with the championship football game coming up, the people on the Georgia side always are hunkered down but I think it is time for us as a rule for the next two to three weeks while this thing spikes, for all of us to sort of throttle back our gathering with other people and hunker down even if you're not a Georgia fan, and say you're an Alabama fan.

EMILY MCCORMICK: Well, and doctor, to that point, one of the things you mentioned in your note to us is that everyone should count on being exposed and at least transiently infected in the next couple of weeks potentially here. So what advice would you have to those who have already been fully vaccinated, already been boosted, on limiting their viral load and the likelihood of symptomatic infection that could potentially be passed on?

MICHAEL SAAG: Right. So we are going to all be exposed if we're venturing out at all. And if we have even a small get-together like you mentioned, Adam, we're going to be exposed. That happened in my family even though everybody was vaccinated and a lot of people had been tested. It's just going to happen.

So if you feel like you've been exposed, I don't think it's necessary personally to just do serial testing. The main thing is to monitor for symptoms. And if you develop even an inkling of sniffles or sore throat, that's probably Omicron, test yourself. If you test positive then go into isolation and protect your family at that point in time. But this thing is going to be bad for the next two to three weeks, I mean, really bad. I guess we'd all wish for our stock portfolio to have a spike like we're seeing with Omicron right now.

ADAM SHAPIRO: Do I even ask what you're going to be doing on January 10th? I bet I can guess. Dr. Michael--

MICHAEL SAAG: Well, I might be hunkered down.

ADAM SHAPIRO: Go for it.

MICHAEL SAAG: Yeah. I will be pulling-- here I'm in Alabama so I'm an Alabama fan. Interestingly, all three of my kids and their spouses went to Georgia. So we're a family divided but it's a friendly divide.

ADAM SHAPIRO: I would love to be a fly on the wall during Thanksgiving in your household. Dr. Michael Saag, associate dean for global health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Thank you for joining us. Happy new year.