What steps should you take if you are in close contact with someone who tests positive for coronavirus? How long have you been contagious, what are the quarantine guidelines and when is it safe to see people again?
Here's the latest guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on what to do if you test positive or believe you may have been in contact with someone who is.
How Soon Might Symptoms Appear?
According to the CDC, COVID symptoms can appear anywhere from two to 14 days after someone is exposed to the virus.
Anyone exhibiting symptoms should get tested for COVID-19.
When Should You Get a COVID Test?
According to the most recent guidance from the CDC, people who have been fully vaccinated and who have had COVID-19 are advised to get tested between five and seven days after their exposure, although previous guidance was three. between five days.
People who develop symptoms should get tested as symptoms develop, but if one test is negative and symptoms persist then another test may be needed a few days later, especially for those who are at home. Use test kits.
“So if someone has symptoms and they test negative, it depends on the severity,” said Dr. Nimmi Rajagopal, associate chair of the Department of Family and Community Medicine for Cook County Health. “We want you to consult your doctor. Call the office and make sure they have an opinion here because there are certainly other things like flu that can mimic symptoms or have similar symptoms. But if you have symptoms and they're kind of mild and lethargic and you use the [at home] test and it's negative, we want you to take precautions and then test again in three to five days. And that's why most of these kits actually come with two tests. ,
When is Someone With COVID Contagious?
A person with COVID-19 is considered infectious starting two days before they develop symptoms, or two days before the date of their positive test if they do not have symptoms.
How Long Should you Quarantine or Isolate?
First things first, those who believe they have been in contact with someone who has COVID and are unvaccinated should quarantine. Those who test positive, regardless of vaccination status, must isolate, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Quarantine
People who have been within 6 feet with COVID for at least 15 minutes in total in a 24-hour period should be quarantined for five days if outside their second dose, or more than six months As of time, the update was issued in accordance with CDC guidance. Monday.
Once that period ends, they must participate in strict mask use for an additional five days.
Earlier, the CDC said that people who were not fully vaccinated and who came into close contact with an infected person should stay home for at least 10 days.
Before Monday, people who were fully vaccinated — which the CDC defined as two doses of Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or one dose of Johnson & Johnson vaccine — could be exempt from quarantine.
Local health officials can also make the final determination on how long a quarantine should last. And testing can play a role.
For example, in Chicago, people who travel to or from parts of the country and have not been vaccinated must quarantine upon arrival in Chicago, but how long it takes them to do so depends on whether they get tested for COVID.
The city's travel advice recommends people who travel through states with specified warnings:
- Get tested with a viral test 3-5 days after travel AND stay home and self-quarantine for a full 7 days.
- Even if you test negative, stay home and self-quarantine for the full 7 days.
- If your test is positive, isolate yourself to protect others from getting infected.
- If you don’t get tested, stay home and self-quarantine for 10 days after travel.
- Illinois' health department states that:
- Quarantine can end after Day 10 without testing and if no symptoms have been reported during any day of the daily monitoring period.
- Quarantine can end after Day 7 if a RT (Reverse Transcriptase)-PCR test is negative and if no symptoms were reported during any day of the daily monitoring period. The earliest a specimen may be collected and tested would be on Day 6 with quarantine being discontinued no earlier than Day 8. This option is not recommended for children in daycares or K-12 schools, however.
"Due to the risk of serious illness and mass transmission, IDPH recommends a full 14-day quarantine period rather than the brief options described above in settings with vulnerable populations such as skilled care and correctional facilities," the Illinois Department of Public Health says on its website. But tells.
For schools, the guidance is different. In these settings, IDPH guidance states that:
- Any student or school personnel who is a confirmed case or probable case should stay home for a minimum of 10 days following onset date if symptomatic or date of positive test if asymptomatic, or as otherwise directed by the school’s local health authority.
- Any unvaccinated student or school personnel who is a close contact must stay home for a minimum of 14 days or as otherwise directed by the school’s local health authority, which may recommend options such as exclusion for 10 days without testing but with daily symptom check or seven days with a negative test result on day 6. As an alternative to exclusion, schools may permit close contacts who are asymptomatic to be on the school premises, extracurricular events, or any other events organized by the school if both the confirmed case or probable case and the contact were masked for the entire exposure period and provided the contact tests negative on days 1, 3, 5 and 7 following the exposure. Individuals who are fully vaccinated or who tested positive for COVID-19 within prior 90 days and are currently asymptomatic are not considered close contacts.
- Any student or school personnel who exhibit symptoms of COVID-19, as defined by the CDC, should stay home until they test negative for COVID-19, or for a minimum of 10 days, until they are fever free for 24 hours and until 48 hours after diarrhea or vomiting have ceased.
Isolation
People who are positive for COVID should stay home for five days, the CDC said Monday, changing guidance from the previously recommended 10 days.
At the end of the period, if you have no symptoms, you can return to normal activities but must wear a mask everywhere — even at home around others — for at least five more days.
If you still have symptoms after isolating for five days, stay home until you feel better and then start your five days of wearing a mask at all times.
So how do you calculate your isolation period?
According to the CDC, "day 0 is your first day of symptoms." That means that Day 1 is the first full day after your symptoms developed.
For those who test positive for COVID but have no symptoms, day 0 is the day of the positive test. Those who develop symptoms after testing positive must start their calculations over, however, with day 0 then becoming the first day of symptoms.
When Should You Call a Doctor?
The CDC urges people who have or may have COVID-19 to look out for emergency warning signs and seek medical care immediately if they experience symptoms:
- Trouble breathing
- Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
- New confusion
- Inability to wake or stay awake
- Pale, gray, or blue-colored skin, lips, or nail beds, depending on skin tone
"This list does not list all possible symptoms," says the CDC. "Please call your medical provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning to you."
You can also inform the operator that you believe you or someone you care about has COVID.
What If You Test Positive Using an At-Home Test?
People who test positive using an at-home test are asked to follow the latest CDC guidelines and to report the results to their healthcare provider, who is also asked to report the test results to the state health department. is responsible for.
Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Alison Arvadi has said that this process is unlikely to happen for every test, however.
"All those negatives are not being reported realistically," Arvadi said. "We're not counting, you know, it's a fantasy that we've counted every COVID test ever."
He said that although many home tests are not being reported, positive results are likely to be provided to health care providers, then to health departments.
When Can You Be Around Other People After Having COVID?
If you had symptoms, the CDC says you can be around others after five days of isolation and stop exhibiting symptoms. However, you should continue to wear the mask for five days to reduce the risk to others.