CDC Pulls Holiday Guidance Released In Error, Update Coming Soon

VIRGINIA — Updated guidance issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regarding COVID-19 protocols during the holidays was removed Monday just days after it was posted to the agency website.

As of Monday, the holiday tips landing page was removed, with CDC representatives noting that old guidance was posted in error and that new guidance is coming soon.

"The content is in the process of being updated by CDC to reflect current guidance ahead of this holiday season," CDC spokeswoman Kristen Nordlund said in a statement. "The page had a technical update on Friday, but doesn't reflect the CDC's guidance ahead of this upcoming holiday season. CDC will share additional guidance soon."

The guidance, which was posted on Friday, listed virtual and in-person gatherings with fully vaccinated individuals as being the safest options for holiday gatherings. The agency also noted that masks should be worn at indoor gatherings or outdoor gatherings that are crowded, or gatherings with those who are not fully vaccinated.

"Attending gatherings to celebrate events and holidays increases your risk of getting and spreading COVID-19. The safest way to celebrate is virtually, with people who live with you, or outside and at least 6 feet apart from others," the CDC noted in its since-removed guidance.

By Halloween, 5 to 11 years old could see a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine approval. In late September, the company submitted its data to the Food and Drug Administration in an effort to seek emergency use authorization of its vaccine for children five and older.

Ahead of the anticipated emergency use authorization, school districts across the state are gearing up for the vaccine distribution. Arlington County has about 92 percent of children 12 to 15 vaccinated. Francisco Durán, superintendent of Arlington Public Schools, said there is a vaccine mandate for staff, with 91 percent of instructional staff vaccinated. There is a testing option for unvaccinated staff.

"The model that we use in both of those cases is to provide clinics that are available during the day, during the afternoons, evenings and weekends," Durán said at a news conference last week. "And we'll do that again, and we're prepared to do that again for our [students] 5 years and older."

Nearly 5.2 million Virginians are fully vaccinated as of Monday, or nearly 61 percent of the population. That's compared to about 56 percent of the U.S. population that are fully vaccinated.

More than 10.6 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered across the state, according to data from the Virginia Department of Health.

The VDH tracks the percentage of adults who have received one dose, which is currently 80.7 percent. As of Monday, 72.1 percent of adults are fully vaccinated.

The CDC defines people who are fully vaccinated as those who are two weeks past their second dose of the Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines or two weeks past a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

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