New COVID vaccine for 2024, isolation guidelines, free tests and more questions, answered
Think COVID is a thing of the past? Think again.
After a summer surge of the virus, and as cold season approaches, attention is back on the illness, prompting questions about what to do if you test positive and how to protect yourself.
Here's what to know for fall 2024:
New COVID vaccine
Last month, the Food and Drug Administration approved updated COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna for the 2024 fall season.
Moderna and Pfizer's shots were revised this year to target the KP.2 variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, as part of a now-annual process undertaken by the FDA and health authorities around the world to update the vaccines to protect against newer strains of the virus.
Both Moderna and Pfizer say they expect the first shots from their vaccines to become available in the coming days around the country. Another updated vaccine from Novavax is also expected to get the FDA's authorization this year.
Who should get the updated COVID vaccine?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are recommending that all Americans ages 6 months and older get a shot of the updated 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine to protect against another expected surge of the virus this fall and winter.
For most people, the CDC recommends getting a flu shot in September or October each year, which can be given at the same time as the COVID-19 vaccines.
COVID guidelines 2024
In March, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced it was no longer asking Americans to stay home for five days after testing positive — but the agency did provide updated recommendations for preventing the spread of infection for COVID and other respiratory viruses.
For those sick, the CDC now suggests:
- Staying home until their fever has disappeared for at least 24 hours without relying on fever-lowering medications and their symptoms are improving
- Masking for five days after they are no longer staying home
- Distancing from others
- Improving ventilation around others
"Enhanced precautions are especially important to protect those most at risk for severe illness, including those over 65 and people with weakened immune systems," according to the CDC.
How long am I contagious with COVID in 2024?
People with COVID-19 can be infectious from one to two days before and up to eight to 10 days after symptoms begin, according to the CDC.
People who are asymptomatic, or have no symptoms, can also transmit the virus, medical research has shown.
Free COVID tests
Starting in late September, Americans will be able to get free COVID test kits mailed to their homes.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the agency that oversees the process, has not announced an exact date for ordering to begin. But according to COVIDtests.gov, U.S. households will be able to order up to four free COVID-19 nasal swab tests when the federal program reopens.
The tests will detect current virus strains and can be ordered ahead of the holiday season when family and friends gather for celebrations, an HHS spokesperson previously said.
What medicine to take for COVID
Most people with COVID-19 have mild illness and can recover at home, according to the CDC.
You can treat symptoms with over-the-counter medicines such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen.
For those more likely to get very sick, the FDA has authorized or approved several antiviral medications, including:
- Nirmatrelvir with Ritonavir, also known as Paxlovid, an oral medication for adults and children 12 years and older
- Remdesivir, known as Veklury, an intravenous infusion done at a healthcare setting for adults and children
- Molnupiravir, or Lagevrio, an oral medication for adults only
Patients should work with their healthcare providers to determine the best treatment option for them.