Unmasking the quarantine and mask confusion when it comes to dealing with Omicron

SAN ANTONIO - Last week, Delta Air Lines asked the CDC to cut the recommended isolation from 10 to five days for those without symptoms.

The CDC followed through yesterday.

While they say the decision is based on science, our local doctors are worried about what these new regulations will mean in the long run.

Some of the messaging is confusing regarding how long to quarantine and the effectiveness of masks.

We’re taking your questions to University Health’s Chief Medical Officer Bryan Alsip and UT Health San Antonio Professor and Chair of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine Doctor Monica Verduzco-Gutierrez, to clear things up for you.

"We were really dealing with a very transmissible variant," Dr. Alsip said.

"Omicron is highly contagious," Dr. Verduzco-Gutierrez echoed.

The latest COVID variant is mutating and moving faster than you can keep up with the latest guidelines.

"It's going back up again, and so we're back to where we were about we say around Halloween or so," Dr. Alsip said.

Despite the rise in cases, the CDC is shortening the time you should quarantine from 10 days to five only if you don't have symptoms.

"Health care workers, they've worked so tirelessly throughout the whole pandemic and now, it almost seems like a punch in the gut that we don't feel supported through this," Dr. Verduzco-Gutierrez said.

She has been treating patients struggling to recover from the virus and says she is still treating patients from the first surge.

"We still don't know some of the long term effects of the infection, including people who have mild disease can get long COVID," Dr. Verduzco-Gutierrez said.

She worries about how some might interpret the new recommendations.

"I'm a little bit concerned about people's ability to really say or know if they're asymptomatic or not," Dr. Verduzco-Gutierrez said. “I'm worried that people are not going to after the five days wear a mask and then they can go on and continue to spread COVID-19.”

Many of you are feeling confused, trying to keep up.

One of the biggest questions -- 'What type of mask should I wear?'

"Definitely know that the best ones are N95s or KN95s," Dr. Verduzco-Gutierrez said.

"Medical or surgical mask can be very effective in most settings," Dr. Alsip said.

Doctors say -- not all masks are equal.

"Anything cloth, masks, doesn't provide much safety or coverage," Dr. Verduzco-Gutierrez said.

"Even cloth masks are those with some sort of filtration in addition to the fabric can be helpful, and I think should be used in a setting where you really just don't have a control over the environment that you're going to be in," Dr. Alsip said.

The biggest takeaway doctors have -- don't let your guard down, continue to mask up, get your shots if you haven't and boosted if it's been longer than six months because right now -- their greatest fear is another surge coming after the holidays.