Reply to A word of warning about this round of COVID

Forum Index » Health and Medicine

Reply to "A word of warning about this round of COVID"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]This latest COVID made me so sick, but it is also lingering on a rapid test well past the 10 days for both me and my friend.

Seems like you may be infectious for much longer. I am masking but with the latest guidance people probably would not even know. [/quote]

I thought we were already well aware that rapid tests did not provide an indication of infectiosness.  Like, we've known that for years now.  [/quote]

I think you might be thinking about PCR tests. Rapid tests may miss COVID-19, particularly before or just after the onset of symptoms, so a single test is not necessarily reliable in excluding transmissible COVID-19. However, a positive rapid test is considered to be evidence of infectiousness. [/quote]

I think it's a good indication in the first few days of symptoms, but after something like 5 days, a positive antigen isn't a good indication of infectiousness.  The OP is talking about testing for 10 days (or more?) with the implication being to isolate (or something) based on that.[/quote]

+1 I looked at studies on this when I was testing positive for 10+ days and later on when DD was told she could go back to daycare after 5 days. I felt really nervous about sending her back while still testing positive. But what I found are studies showing transmission by and large was not occurring after 5 days - it happens pre symptoms and in the next 2-3 days after symptoms start. Some individuals with compromised immune systems and/or severe COVID may transmit for longer.

Some studies conflate a positive antigen test with infectiousness, but some studies suck. There is a lot of bad science out there. Most people with common sense understand that if the risk of transmission is so minimal (which it is after 5 days) there really is no need to worry.[/quote]

Again, no one has suggested isolating for more than 10 days. These decisions are specific to individual circumstances. Kids should not be excluded from school for such long periods based on the possibility that they might be contagious (based on a weak positive rapid test). Most workplaces won't allow that either. However, if you have vulnerable people in your life and you are getting a strong positive on day 7 (as my daughter just did), you might want to take that into consideration. Maybe you skip that visit with Grandpa at the assisted living facility and wear a mask in the office around your co-worker whose spouse is undergoing cancer treatment. [/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics