Emory epidemiologist explains updated COVID guidelines

FILE - A student wears a mask and face shield in a 4th grade class amid the COVID-19 pandemic at Washington Elementary School on Jan. 12, 2022, in Lynwood, Calif. Four years after the COVID-19 pandemic closed schools and upended child care, the CDC says parents can start treating the virus like other respiratory illnesses. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)

Federal health officials are recommending another round of COVID-19 booster shots for those 65 and older or with weakened immune systems.

Dr. Jodie Guest is a professor of epidemiology at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health.

She said the new guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) outline shorter necessary isolation periods for patients who test positive for COVID.