Quick COVID question: would getting the vax ping a positive test result?

[Guest]

1 minute ago, Not_a_Number said:

So, here's a question for you -- how would you know if you're pre-symptomatic, exactly? Are you saying you've never seen anyone who has infected people with a negative test in hand? 

I’m saying I have never heard of a person walking around for weeks infecting people with multiple negative tests in hand. No, I have never heard of that happening in adults. 

I’m saying if I am still feeling fine, still getting 99% O2 sats, still can smell my lovely coffee, on Monday, have a second test, and it is also negative...I think I am in the clear. Certainly if I am masked or double-masked at work. Staying home with all those conditions met seems paranoid to me. 

[Scarlett]

15 minutes ago, ktgrok said:

Yes, public health quarantine orders are able to be upheld as legally binding, and people can be arrested for breaking quarantine, or fined. 

Yes I am aware that they have the power to uphold and enforce quarantine.  But currently the quarantine orders are suggestions pretty much everywhere that I know of.  Unless you are willfully spreading it in some sort of reckless manner I don't think there are laws that Quill would be breaking. 

[Not_a_Number]

4 minutes ago, Quill said:

I’m saying I have never heard of a person walking around for weeks infecting people with multiple negative tests in hand. No, I have never heard of that happening in adults. 

But it wouldn't be "for weeks." It'd be the day before the positive test. One day. You don't KNOW about the positive test that happens the next day until it happens. 

Also, frankly... talk to your boss. He might feel very differently about things that protect HIS hide as opposed to things that protect you. 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, ktgrok said:

Can I just say, I hate that you, who have been so careful, are put in this crap situation between a boss and your husband, who were not taking it as seriously. 

Add in just getting your vaccine and the emotional roller coaster must be overwhelming. 

All that said...the white house spread was by people who were not currently symptomatic, and who were regularly testing negative. 

The CDC and your local health department came up with these guidelines for a reason. 

They were also largely douchebag non-maskers who didn’t social distance. 

[Guest]

3 minutes ago, Not_a_Number said:

But it wouldn't be "for weeks." It'd be the day before the positive test. One day. You don't KNOW about the positive test that happens the next day until it happens. 

Also, frankly... talk to your boss. He might feel very differently about things that protect HIS hide as opposed to things that protect you. 

I have talked to my boss. It’s really annoying me that people say that in this thread. I talked to him first at 6:30 this morning, with the law clerk. I told him what was going on before dh even left for his test. And I have since told him about the positive test, my negative test and my son’s negative test. I have talked to him so much today that my phone had 7% battery by 3:00. 

He went in to be tested today himself. His wife was the one who said, “Dani should stay home!” He was rehearsing all the stuff that has to be postponed and changed just by my missing today and tommorow. He’s the one losing his mind about the idea I could even be out for five days, much less if I ever suggested two weeks. 

[Not_a_Number]

Just now, Quill said:

I have talked to my boss. It’s really annoying me that people say that in this thread. I talked to him first at 6:30 this morning, with the law clerk. I told him what was going on before dh even left for his test. And I have since told him about the positive test, my negative test and my son’s negative test. I have talked to him so much today that my phone had 7% battery by 3:00. 

Sorry! I am just skimming and didn't see. If you did, then you did. My bad. 

 

Just now, Quill said:

He went in to be tested today himself. His wife was the one who said, “Dani should stay home!” He was rehearsing all the stuff that has to be postponed and changed just by my missing today and tomorrow. He’s the one losing his mind about the idea I could even be out for five days, much less if I ever suggested two weeks. 

OK. So he's willing to take the risk, I guess. Of course, his wife maybe isn't, so that gets complicated, fast. But he is willing and he is your boss. That's a hard situation 😞 . 

[Scarlett]

3 minutes ago, Quill said:

I have talked to my boss. It’s really annoying me that people say that in this thread. I talked to him first at 6:30 this morning, with the law clerk. I told him what was going on before dh even left for his test. And I have since told him about the positive test, my negative test and my son’s negative test. I have talked to him so much today that my phone had 7% battery by 3:00. 

He went in to be tested today himself. His wife was the one who said, “Dani should stay home!” He was rehearsing all the stuff that has to be postponed and changed just by my missing today and tommorow. He’s the one losing his mind about the idea I could even be out for five days, much less if I ever suggested two weeks. 

It is good to be needed.  🙂  

[prairiewindmomma]

24 minutes ago, Quill said:

I do not think quarantine of a close contact is a law here (or, not currently). If it was, surely the telemed doctor would have definitely said so in response to both my and ds’ direct question of “what do I do about work/school?” For me, she said she “recommended” I stay home from work for a week and she thought a second test on Monday would be “wise.” For ds, she recommended he stay home from school for “a few days” and she said coming back for a second test on Monday was “not a bad idea.” 

Surely if there was a law, she would be duty-bound to say so. 

Right. See my later post where I state that I think you are in a guidance state not a required state.  

[maize]

Just sending hugs Quill.

Hopefully your dh has a super mild case and you can stay isolated enough from him that you don't catch it.

Edited March 25, 2021 by maize

[wathe]

45 minutes ago, Quill said:

I do not think quarantine of a close contact is a law here (or, not currently). If it was, surely the telemed doctor would have definitely said so in response to both my and ds’ direct question of “what do I do about work/school?” For me, she said she “recommended” I stay home from work for a week and she thought a second test on Monday would be “wise.” For ds, she recommended he stay home from school for “a few days” and she said coming back for a second test on Monday was “not a bad idea.” 

Surely if there was a law, she would be duty-bound to say so. 

You would think, but not necessarily. And in practice it often doesn't happen. Your treating MD isn't responsible for initiating or enforcing public health orders (or for giving you legal information).  That's public health's role.  Your contact tracer and public health should be notifying you of your obligations.  Unfortunately, when public health is overwhelmed, that notification doesn't always happen in a timely fashion.   Our local public isolation and quarantine order is complex, and was updated recently.  I can guarantee you that most local MD's here are not up to date on all the details.

 

ETA: as you know, I'm not in the US.  So maybe none of the above applies. 

 

 

Edited March 25, 2021 by wathe

[Guest]

9 minutes ago, wathe said:

You would think, but not necessarily. And in practice it often doesn't happen. Your treating MD isn't responsible for initiating or enforcing public health orders (or for giving you legal information).  That's public health's role.  Your contact tracer and public health should be notifying you of your obligations.  Unfortunately, when public health is overwhelmed, that notification doesn't always happen in a timely fashion.   Our local public isolation and quarantine order is complex, and was updated recently.  I can guarantee you that most local MD's here are not up to date on all the details.

 

ETA: as you know, I'm not in the US.  So maybe none of the above applies. 

 

 

Yeah, I know you are a reasonable non-USian and you don’t have white guys with semi-automatic weapons demanding the “right” to control their health as they like. 🙄 “Don’t Tread on Me! Rah, Rah, Rah!” 

The testing location I went to is a mass testing site organized through state government. If that’s not public health, I don’t know what is. She said I would find a work excuse on the portal, so clearly, she’s aware that frequently, the problem is bosses don’t want assistant’s out of work for weeks unless they are actually sick. 

[wathe]

21 minutes ago, Quill said:

Yeah, I know you are a reasonable non-USian and you don’t have white guys with semi-automatic weapons demanding the “right” to control their health as they like. 🙄 “Don’t Tread on Me! Rah, Rah, Rah!” 

The testing location I went to is a mass testing site organized through state government. If that’s not public health, I don’t know what is. She said I would find a work excuse on the portal, so clearly, she’s aware that frequently, the problem is bosses don’t want assistant’s out of work for weeks unless they are actually sick. 

So your telemed MD was a public health MD?  Then she should know. Community MD's wouldn't necessarily though.   Our testing sites give clients a handout that spells out obligations bases on circumstances. In your case, in my jurisdiction, you would be required to quarantine, for what that's worth.

Edited for clarity

Edited March 25, 2021 by wathe

[Scarlett]

1 minute ago, wathe said:

So your telemed MD was a public health MD?  Then she should know. Community MD's wouldn't necessarily though.   Our testing sites give clients a handout that spells out obligations bases on circumstances. In your case, you would be required to quarantine, for what that's worth.

Who is requiring her to do so?

[wathe]

1 minute ago, Scarlett said:

Who is requiring her to do so?

If she were here (which she isn't, so moot), public health.

[Scarlett]

Just now, wathe said:

If she were here (which she isn't, so moot), public health.

Oh sorry, I thought you were saying what would be required where she is.

[wathe]

1 minute ago, Scarlett said:

Oh sorry, I thought you were saying what would be required where she is.

Edited for clarity.

[Guest]

6 minutes ago, wathe said:

So your telemed MD was a public health MD?  Then she should know. Community MD's wouldn't necessarily though.   Our testing sites give clients a handout that spells out obligations bases on circumstances. In your case, you would be required to quarantine, for what that's worth.

I guess. 🤷🏻‍♀️ It wasn’t my primary care doctor, it was just the doctor that drew the short straw and had to take a turn on the telemed video explaining COVID test results to people all day today. 

[ktgrok]

 

1 hour ago, Quill said:

I do not think quarantine of a close contact is a law here (or, not currently). If it was, surely the telemed doctor would have definitely said so in response to both my and ds’ direct question of “what do I do about work/school?” For me, she said she “recommended” I stay home from work for a week and she thought a second test on Monday would be “wise.” For ds, she recommended he stay home from school for “a few days” and she said coming back for a second test on Monday was “not a bad idea.” 

Surely if there was a law, she would be duty-bound to say so. 

Well, what she said goes against what the CDC and various public health organizations are saying. 

1 hour ago, Quill said:

I’m saying I have never heard of a person walking around for weeks infecting people with multiple negative tests in hand. No, I have never heard of that happening in adults. 

I’m saying if I am still feeling fine, still getting 99% O2 sats, still can smell my lovely coffee, on Monday, have a second test, and it is also negative...I think I am in the clear. Certainly if I am masked or double-masked at work. Staying home with all those conditions met seems paranoid to me. 

Not weeks - 10 days without a test, 7 days if you get a negative test on day 5 or 6 after exposure. If your last exposure to DH was today, then quarantine would end next thursday, as long as you got a negative test on Tues or Wednesday. 

Monday is too soon to test. You could be negative Monday, able to smell your coffee, and then positive and contagious on tuesday. There is no scientific basis for thinking a test 4 days after exposure means you are in the clear and will not become contagious - not at this point with what we know. There is a reason they are saying at least 5 days after last exposure. 

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/science/science-briefs/scientific-brief-options-to-reduce-quarantine.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2F2019-ncov%2Fmore%2Fscientific-brief-options-to-reduce-quarantine.html

Local public health authorities determine and establish the quarantine options for their jurisdictions. CDC currently recommends a quarantine period of 14 days. However, based on local circumstances and resources, the following options to shorten quarantine are acceptable alternatives.

• Quarantine can end after Day 10 without testing and if no symptoms have been reported during daily monitoring.
  • With this strategy, residual post-quarantine transmission risk is estimated to be about 1% with an upper limit of about 10%.

• When diagnostic testing resources are sufficient and available (see bullet 3, below), then quarantine can end after Day 7 if a diagnostic specimen tests negative and if no symptoms were reported during daily monitoring. The specimen may be collected and tested within 48 hours before the time of planned quarantine discontinuation (e.g., in anticipation of testing delays), but quarantine cannot be discontinued earlier than after Day 7.
  • With this strategy, the residual post-quarantine transmission risk is estimated to be about 5% with an upper limit of about 12%.

Edited March 25, 2021 by ktgrok

[Not_a_Number]

I think we should all leave @Quill alone and let her process. This is a lot in one day!! 

If I were you, Quill, I'd probably try to think through all the possible eventualities, and how you feel about them. Like, here are the things that might happen if I don't come to work and my boss is mad and... (fill in the rest of the scenario here.) And here are the things that might happen if I do come to work and it turns out I'm contagious... (fill in the rest of the scenario here.) 

Then you can evaluate how likely you find the scenarios and how much they bother you. But I'd also probably take a day or two on it to process. And try to stay away from your DH as much as possible, so you don't catch it. 

This stinks. I'm really sorry you have to deal with this. 

Edited March 25, 2021 by Not_a_Number

[Guest]

8 minutes ago, ktgrok said:

Not weeks - 10 days without a test, 7 days if you get a negative test on day 5 or 6 after exposure. If your last exposure to DH was today, then quarantine would end next thursday, as long as you got a negative test on Tues or Wednesday. 

I was not exposed to dh today. While I was at the place getting vaccinated yesterday, he was sending me texts asking where the instant-read thermometer is. So from 4:00 yesterday, I had no interaction with him except brief, both masked moments when I took his temperature or brought him things he needed. He slept downstairs last night. 

Probably TMI, but we haven’t had close together time since he returned from the trip Sunday evening. I was busy with other things and didn’t do much. I gave him a hug. 

Anyway. Just thought I would clear that up. It does not seem that hard to imagine I may not have caught it. 

[Not_a_Number]

1 minute ago, Quill said:

It does not seem that hard to imagine I may not have caught it. 

Fingers crossed you didn't!!

[Guest]

11 minutes ago, Not_a_Number said:

I think we should all leave @Quill alone and let her process 🙂 . This is a lot in one day!! 

If I were you, Quill, I'd probably try to think through all the possible eventualities, and how you feel about them. Like, here are the things that might happen if I don't come to work and my boss is mad and... (fill in the rest of the scenario here.) And here are the things that might happen if I do come to work and it turns out I'm contagious... (fill in the rest of the scenario here.) 

Then you can evaluate how likely you find the scenarios and how much they bother you. But I'd also probably take a day or two on it to process. And try to stay away from your DH as much as possible, so you don't catch it. 

This stinks. I'm really sorry you have to deal with this. 

It is a lot in one day but I think it is also important to mention, I am not upset by this thread. (Well...only a little bit when I think people are getting on a moral high horse.) On the contrary, this is how I process stuff and without being on the hive, I would be bored right now. I can’t focus on reading or doing French lessons or working on my Let’s Make Art! that arrived today; I’m just too busy in my head for that right now. So I’m hanging around here. 

[kbutton]

2 hours ago, Quill said:

I do not think quarantine of a close contact is a law here (or, not currently). If it was, surely the telemed doctor would have definitely said so in response to both my and ds’ direct question of “what do I do about work/school?” For me, she said she “recommended” I stay home from work for a week and she thought a second test on Monday would be “wise.” For ds, she recommended he stay home from school for “a few days” and she said coming back for a second test on Monday was “not a bad idea.” 

Surely if there was a law, she would be duty-bound to say so. 

Many practitioners are willing to write notes, but they don't really know what is required, TBH. 

 

[Not_a_Number]

5 minutes ago, Quill said:

It is a lot in one day but I think it is also important to mention, I am not upset by this thread. (Well...only a little bit when I think people are getting on a moral high horse.) On the contrary, this is how I process stuff and without being on the hive, I would be bored right now. I can’t focus on reading or doing French lessons or working on my Let’s Make Art! that arrived today; I’m just too busy in my head for that right now. So I’m hanging around here. 

I just didn't want anyone to pile on 🙂 . But if you're OK, then everyone should ignore me 😄 

[ktgrok]

22 minutes ago, Quill said:

I was not exposed to dh today. While I was at the place getting vaccinated yesterday, he was sending me texts asking where the instant-read thermometer is. So from 4:00 yesterday, I had no interaction with him except brief, both masked moments when I took his temperature or brought him things he needed. He slept downstairs last night. 

Probably TMI, but we haven’t had close together time since he returned from the trip Sunday evening. I was busy with other things and didn’t do much. I gave him a hug. 

Anyway. Just thought I would clear that up. It does not seem that hard to imagine I may not have caught it. 

Ah, for some reason I thought he was tested today, and you went together. 

If yesterday afternoon was last contact then monday afternoon test, with quaranting ending two days after that, would be within the guidelines. So ending on Wednesday. 

[Guest]

7 minutes ago, ktgrok said:

Ah, for some reason I thought he was tested today, and you went together. 

If yesterday afternoon was last contact then monday afternoon test, with quaranting ending two days after that, would be within the guidelines. So ending on Wednesday. 

He did get tested today, but we did not go together because I do not want to be in the car with him. He left separately ahead of me, in a different car. 

My boss is on board with a Monday test (he even said, just incase it hasn’t built up enough to detect) and being out until I have back the 24-hour result (Tuesday). But if it is negative still and I am not symptomatic, I am likely going in Wednesday. 

[ktgrok]

8 minutes ago, Quill said:

He did get tested today, but we did not go together because I do not want to be in the car with him. He left separately ahead of me, in a different car. 

My boss is on board with a Monday test (he even said, just incase it hasn’t built up enough to detect) and being out until I have back the 24-hour result (Tuesday). But if it is negative still and I am not symptomatic, I am likely going in Wednesday. 

Ok, I'm not crazy, lol. 

If you last were exposed to him yesterday, it sounds like next Wednesday at 4pm is when your quarantine would end, if monday test is negative. I'm not going to shame you for a few hours earlier, going in earlier that day. 

 

[Not_a_Number]

20 minutes ago, Quill said:

He did get tested today, but we did not go together because I do not want to be in the car with him. He left separately ahead of me, in a different car. 

My boss is on board with a Monday test (he even said, just incase it hasn’t built up enough to detect) and being out until I have back the 24-hour result (Tuesday). But if it is negative still and I am not symptomatic, I am likely going in Wednesday. 

That sounds like a good plan, honestly 🙂 . I hope you get another negative!! Most people don't spread COVID to anyone at all, so chances aren't bad. 

[Guest]

25 minutes ago, kand said:

What kind of tests are these? I noticed your first post said that dh was getting a rapid test. Are you getting rapid tests as well, or have you gone for PCR testing? The rapid tests are notoriously unreliable, and in asymptomatic people, are worse than a coin toss. I hope you are able to get PCR testing. And of course, even more than that, I hope you and your son remain negative and that your dh is better soon (but, ooooh, I'm mad at him that he would go into a bar like that and then come home and expose you!!)

 

Yeah, his wife saying "Dani should stay home" stuck out to me. They could have a similar dynamic to Quill and her dh where the wife is more cautious. Honestly, I would be pretty upset at someone coming into my spouse's work when they had someone Covid positive at home. If I subsequently got sick, I would be angry with both that person and my spouse. One way to think of it, Quill, might be to think how you would have felt prior to this if your boss' wife had Covid and he continued to come into work. Do you think you would have kept going in to work in person in the same office with him within that first week? You've been so careful, that it's hard for me to imagine you would have.

I would count any taking his temperature as exposure. That requires you to get pretty close, and you're in a space where he has been filling the air with Covid, unfortunately. Are you at least wearing N95s or KF94s? I would not enter the same room with him unless absolutely necessary and would keep windows cracked in the room he's in and other rooms downstairs.

The tests are both. The place where we were all tested do both tests. The do a rapid AND a PCR. You get the rapid test in fifteen minutes. You get the PCR within 24 hrs. If the PCR is positive, they call you; if negative, they email. 

I am not counting taking his temperature as an exposure. I was only near him for about thirty seconds. Then I stepped way back from him and we talked for about five minutes with masks on. I am wearing a double mask. If that kind of interaction was exposing people, then five or six people at the testing facility are getting exposed every time a positive person rolls through there, like today, when my dh went. 

I don’t know philosophically where my boss’ wife is, but I know she works in a medical field and has been fully vaccinated herself. So she apparently cares at least that much. 

[Not_a_Number]

1 minute ago, Quill said:

I don’t know philosophically where my boss’ wife is, but I know she works in a medical field and has been fully vaccinated herself. So she apparently cares at least that much. 

Well, if she's fully vaxxed, at least you're very unlikely to expose her! 

[Guest]

14 minutes ago, Not_a_Number said:

Well, if she's fully vaxxed, at least you're very unlikely to expose her! 

Yes and my boss is not vaccinated at all, but that is his choice. He is in several categories that qualified several weeks ago and he currently does not want the vax, because he is afraid of feeling bad with the side-effects and says he is waiting for J&J/single shot. So. While I certainly do hope and pray he does not get sick in a chain reaction from me, Honestly? If he does, it’s his own damn fault. He also is very lax about masking in the office and only wears the mask as often as he does (mainly, whenever we are close and discussing something for several minutes) out of deference to me. I think he feels some responsibility for driving his previous assistant away and so he grudgingly wears the mask when I’m in his office. I wear mine whenever I am anywhere in the office unless not with other people. So, 90% of the time. 

I did point out to him that if he had been willing to get vaccinated as soon as he was eligible, he would have much less to be stressed out about right now. 

Edited March 25, 2021 by Quill
Typo changed my meaning

[Not_a_Number]

1 minute ago, Quill said:

Yes and my boss is not vaccinated at all, but that is his choice. He is in several categories that qualified several weeks ago and he currently does not want the vax, because he is afraid of feeling bad with the side-effects and says he is waiting for J&J/single shot. So. While I certainly do hope and pray he does not get sick in a chain reaction from me, Honestly? If he does, it’s his own damn fault. He also is very lax about masking in the office and only wears the mask as often as he does (mainly, whenever we are close and discussing something for several minutes) out of deference to me. I think he feels some responsibility for driving his previous assistant away and so he grudgingly wears the mask when I’m in his office. I wear mine whenever I am anywhere in the office not with other people. So, 90% of the time. 

Hm. Yeah, I can see how you wouldn't feel very responsible for him!! 

 

1 minute ago, Quill said:

I did point out to him that if he had been willing to get vaccinated as soon as he was eligible, he would have much less to be stressed out about right now. 

Hah. Good for you. 

[melmichigan]

My state never adopted any of the more lax quarantine orders.  We have a full 14 days, although there are a few cases where you can go down to 10.  If you test positive for a variant you have to quarantine longer, usually 21 days. The new B.1.1.7, which is believed to be responsible for pushing my county to 11th in the nation for cases per capita is actually contagious for longer.  It's why some Chineses cities require 21 days of isolation for those coming in from countries with variants.  Wild covid is contagious for approximately 8 days, while B.1.1.7 has been shown to be contagious for 13 days in studies performed in coordination with the NBA.  I hope your husband is better soon OP.

Edited March 26, 2021 by melmichigan

[Guest]

14 minutes ago, kand said:

Not to be a jerk or pile on, but this is why it’s even more of a concern. If he does get sick, it doesn’t really matter than it’s his own damn fault, because he’s also likely to spread it to other people and continue the chain, especially since he is lax about masking and precautions.

how is your DH doing this evening?

Yes, and if that were to happen I would feel badly for the innocent bystanders, but I’m saying I’m not going to feel responsible if that happens because the power to firewall it was well within his reach but he refused it. I got my own vaccine the soonest I possibly could; sooner, even, if I got it in a sort of lucky backdoor because I am a former cancer patient. I didn’t qualify through the “normal” channels. But he is a cardiac patient, qualifies by being a lawyer, qualifies by age-group and qualifies for some other medical standards, like obesity. 

In short, it is outside of my Circle of Concern if he experiences a bad outcome when he didn’t avail himself of the tools he could have. It may be that he will escape a bad outcome because his legal assistant is one of those liberal fanatical maskers who are afraid of COVID. (Me.) 

Dh feels crappy. He ate dinner (Bucatini Puttanesca), which I put on a breakfast tray on the stair landing and collected in the same manner an hour later. 

I told him not to hesitate to text me if he feels like he needs to go to the hospital, even if it is the middle of the night. I will keep my phone on ring beside me, which is not what I typically do at night. 

[Shoeless]

1 hour ago, kand said:

Honestly, I would be pretty upset at someone coming into my spouse's work when they had someone Covid positive at home. If I subsequently got sick, I would be angry with both that person and my spouse. One way to think of it, Quill, might be to think how you would have felt prior to this if your boss' wife had Covid and he continued to come into work. Do you think you would have kept going in to work in person in the same office with him within that first week? You've been so careful, that it's hard for me to imagine you would have.

This is how my friend caught Covid. Her spouse caught it from someone at his work, he brought it home to her, and she died from it. 

It sounds like the main reason against quarantining is that Boss Man will be stressed and anxious without his employee. In my world, that's a him problem, and not a you problem. 

I've worked for small businesses before where one person being out sends the whole operation into disarray. It's stressful, but it's also the risk a solo practitioner takes when they choose this business model and staffing level.  There's no way this is the first time in this dude's career that he's faced an extended absence from an employee. At some point in his career, someone had to have been on jury duty, vacation, sick with the flu, broken leg, funeral leave, something, and yet he's got no back up plan for how to handle that? Or has the backup plan always been that he freaks out and sends the employee on a guilt trip to make them come in anyway? 

 

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, MissLemon said:

This is how my friend caught Covid. Her spouse caught it from someone at his work, he brought it home to her, and she died from it. 

It sounds like the main reason against quarantining is that Boss Man will be stressed and anxious without his employee. In my world, that's a him problem, and not a you problem. 

I've worked for small businesses before where one person being out sends the whole operation into disarray. It's stressful, but it's also the risk a solo practitioner takes when they choose this business model and staffing level.  There's no way this is the first time in this dude's career that he's faced an extended absence from an employee. At some point in his career, someone had to have been on jury duty, vacation, sick with the flu, broken leg, funeral leave, something, and yet he's got no back up plan for how to handle that? Or has the backup plan always been that he freaks out and sends the employee on a guilt trip to make them come in anyway? 

 

Actually, I don’t think he has ever had an assistant have a sudden, extended absence. *He* has, when he had a quadruple bypass. That was certainly not ideal, though, as he had to give away several cases to other friends who could take the cases for him. 

Just FTR, he is not guilt-tripping me into coming in sooner than I think I should. *I* am the one who does not think it is necessary for me to be out any longer than through next Tuesday, IF I retest negative and have no symptoms by Monday or Tuesday. I just think it’s overkill. If I’m not sick by eight days after dh returned home from his fishing trip, then I’m probably not going to be. 

My PCR test came in. It was negative. Ds’ came in, too. It was negative. 

[Spryte]

It sounds like you have a plan?  That’s good.

I’m just sorry that this has happened now, right after your first shot.  Such crummy timing.

How’s your DH doing now?  

FWIW, a small asymptomatic anecdote that might make you feel better: my FIL is in a nursing home, and his roommate, last fall, tested positive on one of their routine tests.  Roomie was completely asymptomatic, was moved to the quarantine wing but never developed symptoms.  FIL stayed negative.  They were in a small room together, and certainly not living in their masks.  So that’s one case of a true asymptomatic individual not passing it on.  

Really hoping that your DH’s case is mild, and you stay negative!

[Guest]

14 minutes ago, happysmileylady said:

Hey Quill....I have kinda skimmed the thread but......does your boss have to know if you test negative?   Is there a reason you couldn't just tell him you are positive regardless?  I mean, I know you want to be honest, but....if you feel that you need to stay home, is it that big a deal to just say you are positive even if you aren't?  I mean that's probably easier than moving out lol.  

I would and could never do that. Never never never would I do that. It would needlessly upset him that he could get sick, could have gotten a client sick, could have gotten his daughter sick, etc. I am also a terrible liar. If I thought it was imperative that I stay home, say, all week next week, or for two weeks, I would say so and if he were going to be mad, well, then, I guess he could be mad. 

Since you skimmed, you probably missed this, but I am not trying to stay home against his wishes. He isn’t demanding/shaming/haranguing me to come in when I feel I must not. If I am still negative Monday/Tuesday and not symptomatic, I do not think there is any reason to continue to stay home for several more days. I think the possibility that I would transmit COVID by then is as small as it has been all the rest of the time - a present possibility, but not that likely. 

I hope you don’t feel I am being cavalier, experiencing what you have. I’m not. I just think it’s not my job to control all possible outcomes to that degree. If it was so crucial to my boss to not catch COVID, he could have been vaccinated already but he refused for some lame-assed sissy reason. I have done my part all along, even going to measures most people think were extraordinary, to avoid catching/spreading it. So I hope I remain negative and boss doesn’t get it, either, but if he does, it’s not my responsibility. 

Ooh, that’s another reason I could never lie about that: I think it’s bad karma. 

[ScoutTN]

@Quill Sorry you are in this situation. 

I hope your Dh is better soon! And that you and your ds don’t get it. 
 

A word of encouragement - my house is about 1300 sf, 1.5 bath. My Dh and kids all got it and I, who have two autoimmune diseases, did not. 

[ktgrok]

I think we need to realize that the quarantine lengths and specifications are there for a reason, not just something silly the CDC and health departments picked by rolling dice or something. 

You seem to be saying you will pretty much be sticking to the 10 day quarantine guidelines, so fine. But lets be clear - it is not  overly cautious to follow CDC advised quarantine rules nor holy than thou of us to say on should do so. 

[Not_a_Number]

16 minutes ago, Quill said:

I would and could never do that. Never never never would I do that.

I couldn't, either. I basically just feel physically uncomfortable lying, no matter how good the cause. I'm actually not a bad liar, if I absolutely have to do it (I largely ride on the fact that no one ever expects it, lol), but I hate it. 

[Guest]

1 minute ago, ktgrok said:

I think we need to realize that the quarantine lengths and specifications are there for a reason, not just something silly the CDC and health departments picked by rolling dice or something. 

You seem to be saying you will pretty much be sticking to the 10 day quarantine guidelines, so fine. But lets be clear - it is not  overly cautious to follow CDC advised quarantine rules nor holy than thou of us to say on should do so. 

No, but here’s my impression: 14-day quarantine made sense a year ago, when we legit had no idea what we were dealing with and how the virus behaves. That’s why I made my dd stay in her bedroom/bathroom herself for 14 days when she came home from Europe. (Also, we couldn’t get tests back then, so that was a contributing factor.) Now, though, it appears to me that science no longer thinks a person walking around feeling perfectly fine for two weeks could be spreading it, let alone if they get multiple negative PCR tests. That also jibes with my (admittedly anecdotal) experience; when people test positive, they get sick. Some get very sick, some have a headache and some congestion, but I have not heard of a single adult person feeling perfectly fine for two weeks, yet they are spreading the virus all over the county. 

About the holier-than-thou: I do get a vibe in some cases from people who do not have outside-the-home jobs. It smacks of a type of privilege. It’s as though some feel that duty to one’s job is of no importance and screw whatever mayhem it does to my attorney’s practice. That does rub me the wrong way. My attorney’s practice is not some disposable nuisance that can simply be ignored for two weeks while I sit at home perfectly well, symptom-free, and with four negative tests on my record. That is just...not right. 

Possibly, I feel that more strongly because my husband has run a small business all these years, so I understand how disruptive it is when someone cannot do their job in that setting. 

[Not_a_Number]

1 minute ago, Quill said:

Now, though, it appears to me that science no longer thinks a person walking around feeling perfectly fine for two weeks could be spreading it, let alone if they get multiple negative PCR tests.

The question is whether you are really going to limit your exposure in such a way that you could have really only gotten infected today or yesterday. If it's the case that you've basically had ONE exposure to your DH, and you aren't going to have any more real exposures (you aren't sharing air in any way, etc), then this seems like good logic. 

However, if it's possible that you catch it tomorrow, then that logic goes out the window. You're the one who would know whether that's possible or not. 

[Not_a_Number]

3 minutes ago, Quill said:

About the holier-than-thou: I do get a vibe in some cases from people who do not have outside-the-home jobs. It smacks of a type of privilege. It’s as though some feel that duty to one’s job is of no importance and screw whatever mayhem it does to my attorney’s practice. That does rub me the wrong way. My attorney’s practice is not some disposable nuisance that can simply be ignored for two weeks while I sit at home perfectly well, symptom-free, and with four negative tests on my record. That is just...not right. 

For the record, while I work from home, I've definitely had to totally explode our whole life 😞 . We weren't the kinds of homeschoolers that mostly stayed home -- we had lots of activities and I had lots of plans. And I've had medical procedures I've postponed. Everything went "poof" with the pandemic. It truly did. So while I'm not letting anyone down in the same way, it's not like this costs nothing for me. 

[Guest]

1 minute ago, Not_a_Number said:

The question is whether you are really going to limit your exposure in such a way that you could have really only gotten infected today or yesterday. If it's the case that you've basically had ONE exposure to your DH, and you aren't going to have any more real exposures (you aren't sharing air in any way, etc), then this seems like good logic. 

However, if it's possible that you catch it tomorrow, then that logic goes out the window. You're the one who would know whether that's possible or not. 

I think it is very unlikely I will get it now. If I am going to get it, it would be from Sunday night to yesterday morning, before he told me he had chills. Now I have no exposure to him. He’s two floors beneath me, in the basement. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Lots of people do not contract it from their family members. My niece’s husband had it and no one else got it. My other niece had it and no one else got sick. My other other niece had it, quarantined in the garage apartment, and no one else got it. It’s clearly possible. 

 

[ktgrok]

6 minutes ago, Quill said:

No, but here’s my impression: 14-day quarantine made sense a year ago, when we legit had no idea what we were dealing with and how the virus behaves. That’s why I made my dd stay in her bedroom/bathroom herself for 14 days when she came home from Europe. (Also, we couldn’t get tests back then, so that was a contributing factor.) Now, though, it appears to me that science no longer thinks a person walking around feeling perfectly fine for two weeks could be spreading it, let alone if they get multiple negative PCR tests. That also jibes with my (admittedly anecdotal) experience; when people test positive, they get sick. Some get very sick, some have a headache and some congestion, but I have not heard of a single adult person feeling perfectly fine for two weeks, yet they are spreading the virus all over the county. 

About the holier-than-thou: I do get a vibe in some cases from people who do not have outside-the-home jobs. It smacks of a type of privilege. It’s as though some feel that duty to one’s job is of no importance and screw whatever mayhem it does to my attorney’s practice. That does rub me the wrong way. My attorney’s practice is not some disposable nuisance that can simply be ignored for two weeks while I sit at home perfectly well, symptom-free, and with four negative tests on my record. That is just...not right. 

Possibly, I feel that more strongly because my husband has run a small business all these years, so I understand how disruptive it is when someone cannot do their job in that setting. 

Right, but we are saying a 7 day quarantine - that is cut in half, with testing. But still, a quarantine - with good reason. No, people are not going around (usually) feeling fine for 2 weeks and spreading it (although how would we know?), but they might go around feeling totally fine for say 6 days, spreading it on that 6th day, and then start feeling a bit snotty on the 7th, assume it is allergies, and not test until the 8th. And the number of tests is meaningless if most of them are before 5 days post exposure - they don't work really until a certain amount of time has passed. 

And it is a hardship for you and your boss - but if we say anyone with a job doesn't have to quarantine, what is the point? 

[Not_a_Number]

Just now, Quill said:

I think it is very unlikely I will get it now. If I am going to get it, it would be from Sunday night to yesterday morning, before he told me he had chills. Now I have no exposure to him. He’s two floors beneath me, in the basement. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Lots of people do not contract it from their family members. My niece’s husband had it and no one else got it. My other niece had it and no one else got sick. My other other niece had it, quarantined in the garage apartment, and no one else got it. It’s clearly possible. 

Oh, it's more than possible. It's likely. Most people don't spread COVID at all -- that's the whole "dispersion factor" thing people were talking about. The median number of people someone spreads it to is 0. 

[Katy]

 

8 hours ago, Quill said:

I had a negative test and I intend to have additional tests. And what I have seen is that, in the great majority of cases, 50-year olds don’t carry around the virus and never have a symptom or ping a positive. Children sometimes do, but not older adults. Correct me if I am mistaken, but I thought the asymptomatic spreader was disproven. People get sick, or at least test positive. If I am still getting 99% O2 sats and negative tests days hence, I will be less and less and less concerned that I could have it/spread it. 

Except upthread I told you my sister tested negative, never had any symptoms except a day of needing a long nap, and repeat testing and antibody testing was negative too.  She brought it home.  She was exposed to a kid with symptoms, and her DH got really sick.  He hadn't left the house in a month.

6 hours ago, Quill said:

I’m saying I have never heard of a person walking around for weeks infecting people with multiple negative tests in hand. No, I have never heard of that happening in adults. 

I’m saying if I am still feeling fine, still getting 99% O2 sats, still can smell my lovely coffee, on Monday, have a second test, and it is also negative...I think I am in the clear. Certainly if I am masked or double-masked at work. Staying home with all those conditions met seems paranoid to me. 

My sister is a bit younger than you, but well over 35.  She's an adult.  It happened to her.

7 minutes ago, Quill said:

No, but here’s my impression: 14-day quarantine made sense a year ago, when we legit had no idea what we were dealing with and how the virus behaves. That’s why I made my dd stay in her bedroom/bathroom herself for 14 days when she came home from Europe. (Also, we couldn’t get tests back then, so that was a contributing factor.) Now, though, it appears to me that science no longer thinks a person walking around feeling perfectly fine for two weeks could be spreading it, let alone if they get multiple negative PCR tests. That also jibes with my (admittedly anecdotal) experience; when people test positive, they get sick. Some get very sick, some have a headache and some congestion, but I have not heard of a single adult person feeling perfectly fine for two weeks, yet they are spreading the virus all over the county. 

About the holier-than-thou: I do get a vibe in some cases from people who do not have outside-the-home jobs. It smacks of a type of privilege. It’s as though some feel that duty to one’s job is of no importance and screw whatever mayhem it does to my attorney’s practice. That does rub me the wrong way. My attorney’s practice is not some disposable nuisance that can simply be ignored for two weeks while I sit at home perfectly well, symptom-free, and with four negative tests on my record. That is just...not right. 

Possibly, I feel that more strongly because my husband has run a small business all these years, so I understand how disruptive it is when someone cannot do their job in that setting. 

I think your plan is fine, but I think your data is off.  The new strains that are more virulent are contagious for longer.  Hopefully the test your DH had will tell you if it's one of the worse strains?  That would matter to me about whether going back next week would likely be fine, or if it would be a terrible idea.

[Not_a_Number]

1 minute ago, Katy said:

Except upthread I told you my sister tested negative, never had any symptoms except a day of needing a long nap, and repeat testing and antibody testing was negative too.  She brought it home.  She was exposed to a kid with symptoms, and her DH got really sick.  He hadn't left the house in a month.

I've heard more than one story like this. It absolutely happens. I don't think we'd know rates, because these cases are "missing links" -- they are incredibly hard to track and measure. 

[ktgrok]

Just now, Not_a_Number said:

I've heard more than one story like this. It absolutely happens. I don't think we'd know rates, because these cases are "missing links" -- they are incredibly hard to track and measure. 

And many places are not doing contact tracing at all.