6 expert tips for dealing with breakthrough omicron

2. TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR Finding out you are positive for COVID almost always warrants a call to your health care provider, the experts say. A doctor who knows your medical history can help

you navigate a treatment plan that takes into account any health conditions that could worsen the infection, like diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, obesity — there are many. If you’re

at particularly high risk for hospitalization, your doctor may want to start you on one of a handful of COVID treatments to prevent the disease from progressing to a dangerous state. The

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently authorized two new prescription pills from Merck and Pfizer that help to keep people at high risk for COVID-19 complications out the hospital.

These oral antivirals are currently in short supply, but are expected to be more available in the coming months. Monoclonal antibody treatments are another option for high-risk individuals,

depending on the variant that caused the infection. Two of the three antibody treatments available are not effective against omicron, just delta. And like the new pills, this

omicron-fighting antibody is also hard to find during the current coronavirus surge.  3. ISOLATE YOURSELF FROM OTHERS Catching COVID, even if you don’t come down with symptoms, means you

need to isolate yourself from others so you don’t pass on the virus. If you’re asymptomatic or have mild symptoms, the newly updated guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention (CDC) recommend a five-day isolation period — as long as symptoms are resolving (not counting loss of taste and smell, which takes a while to return) and you’re fever-free. Then,

follow it up with five days of mask wearing when you’re around others. The decision was based on new data that suggests people are most infectious early in the course of the infection,

right around the time the first symptoms appear. What’s more, omicron seems to have a shorter incubation period, meaning there’s a smaller gap between time of infection and symptom onset.

Even if you’re symptom-free after day five, however, Guest recommends taking an at-home antigen test before rejoining others. “If that is positive, you should anticipate that means you are

still infectious to others and that your isolation should continue,” she says. People who are severely ill with COVID or who have compromised immune systems may need to isolate longer — at

least 10 days, according to the CDC.  If you live with others, the idea of isolation may seem impossible, but really it just means “trying to limit your contact with them to the extent

possible,” Springgate says. If there’s a spare room or empty side of the home, claim it, and if you leave your bubble to go to shared spaces like the kitchen or bathroom, wear a high-quality

mask, such as a KN95. “That can really make a difference and reduce the likelihood of infecting those around you,” Springgate adds. However, if others in your home also have COVID, there’s

no need to stay apart.  Live alone? Let a friend or family member know that you have COVID and that you need to stay isolated for a few days, Guest says, and make sure there’s someone who

can check in on you by phone, text or email every day. Also, when your isolation period ends and any symptoms clear, don’t hesitate to go back out in the world, says June McKoy, M.D., a

geriatrician and professor of medicine at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “We know how detrimental isolation has been, especially to older adults. I don't want

to see seniors going back into panic mode where they don't go anywhere, do anything,” she says. “I'd like them to quickly isolate and when they're feeling better, get out and

pick up their lives again,” while still exercising all the recommended precautions. “Don't forget about the simple things like washing your hands, improving indoor air quality and

wearing those masks for the immediate prevention of infection,” Hopkins adds.