Current factual info about Covid - when contagious etc.

[SKL]

Say Person A, fully vaxed but not boosted:

• Tested negative on day zero.  (No symptoms either.)
• Developed first symptoms on day 2 or 3.
• Worst symptoms day 5, mostly back to normal by day 7.
• Mostly isolated from household members days 5-8,
• Tested light positive on day 7.

Person B vaxed and boosted OR fully vaxed but not old enough to boost, a possible "close contact" to person A (members of same household):

• Tested negative on day zero, also no symptoms.
• Never developed symptoms.
• Tested negative on day 7.

Would you re-test Person B and if so, when?

What day is Person A OK to be around people again?

 

Edited January 5, 2022 by SKL

[Tenaj]

I am no expert and the information guidelines seem to change daily but I would not retest person b unless symptoms develop.

Everything I read in the middle of December said that 10 days after onset of symptoms is when you are free from quarantine and 48 hours after last fever.  My adult son had Covid in December and he followed the above guidelines.  Actually, he quarantined maybe one day longer than the 10 just because it was a Saturday and then tested again on Saturday night to be sure before he went to church and got a negative result.  My worry with Person A is that they had something else when symptoms first appeared band then caught Covid sometime between day 2 and day 10.  Is that possible?  My sil had a non-covid virus  that turned into pneumonia in November but then before she fully recovered became positive for Covid (probably exposed through adult children working).

Edited January 5, 2022 by Tenaj
Changed an "or" or "and"

[Sharpie]

I wouldn't retest person B either, unless symptoms develop.  Here, if you are fully vaccinated (within last 6 months or boostered in that time frame) and you test positive you are only quarantined for 5 days unless you are feeling really ill yet on day 6. 

It keeps changing though, so give it a week and there will be new guidelines.  Hard to keep up.

[SKL]

2 hours ago, Tenaj said:

I am no expert and the information guidelines seem to change daily but I would not retest person b unless symptoms develop.

Everything I read in the middle of December said that 10 days after onset of symptoms is when you are free from quarantine and 48 hours after last fever.  My adult son had Covid in December and he followed the above guidelines.  Actually, he quarantined maybe one day longer than the 10 just because it was a Saturday and then tested again on Saturday night to be sure before he went to church and got a negative result.  My worry with Person A is that they had something else when symptoms first appeared band then caught Covid sometime between day 2 and day 10.  Is that possible?  My sil had a non-covid virus  that turned into pneumonia in November but then before she fully recovered became positive for Covid (probably exposed through adult children working).

Anything is possible, but Person A's contacts have been:  Days 1-2 plane travel, airport, shopping.  Day 3, buffet breakfast & outdoor NYE fireworks (not super close to others).  Day 4, buffet breakfast in the a.m. and brief meeting with 1 person in the evening.  Days 5-8 (today) no contact outside of the household.

[ktgrok]

3 hours ago, SKL said:

Say Person A, fully vaxed but not boosted:

• Tested negative on day zero.  (No symptoms either.)
• Developed first symptoms on day 2 or 3.
• Tested light positive on day 7.

Person B vaxed and boosted OR fully vaxed but not old enough to boost, a possible "close contact" to person A:

• Tested negative on day zero, also no symptoms.
• Never developed symptoms.
• Tested negative on day 7.

Would you re-test Person B and if so, when?

What day is Person A OK to be around people again?

 

It depends on when they were last in contact with each other. If person B saw person A on day 7, then you have the countdown starting all over again. 

As an example, Niece A caught Covid. Niece B negative, Parent negative. That continued for a full week, then Niece B tested positive, then a few days later, after that much exposure, Parent develops symptoms and tests positive. But yeah, it was a full week or longer after the first niece got sick until second niece got sick. And a few days after that when their mom finally got sick. At that point she'd had so much exposure, and so little sleep caring for them, that her immune system got overrun. (this was Delta, not Omicron)

[SKL]

For clarity, Persons A and B are members of the same household.  Person A has been holed up in a room for the most part on days 5-8.

[TheReader]

I wouldn't retest Person B unless they show symptoms. 

Person A would follow CDC guidelines which currently say to isolate for 5 days/until asymptomatic (meaning symptoms declining/fever free; that part was hard to track down). They start the count as 1st Day of Symptoms = day 0, so then the 1st day after symptoms is the 1st day of isolation (and so 5 days from then). After the 1st five days, then Person A is supposed to mask when around people for an additional 5 days (so 10 days total, post symptoms showing up, and again, as long as symptoms are declining & fever free). 

If Person B makes it through all that period w/o symptoms, they are likely fine. 

-signed, currently on day 9 here, and the 2 symptomless have remained so throughout so far.....

[athena1277]

On the news this morning, they were saying that most of the transmission is in the first few days, so B should be fine.  They also were saying that you could go out with a mask (5 days) once you were fever free for 24 hours.  The advice really sounded more like what doctors have been saying forever about flu and other colds.  

[SKL]

So Person A is OK to be around people masked this weekend, is what I'm reading.

Still not clear on Persons B.  Let's say they got exposed on Day 4 or earlier.  Tested negative on day 7, at least 3 days post exposure.  Would another negative test on day 9 (at least 5 days post exposure) be meaningful, as far as whether they are safe to be around people this weekend?

I should also note that Person A's symptoms were worst on Day 5.  By Day 7 pretty much back to normal.

[freesia]

Person A:10 days after symptoms appeared as long as fever-free for 24 hours. 
 

Person B has not had close contact for 4 days. So, I would continue to isolate A for one more day. I would have B test on day 5,6 or 7 from last close contact  Until then I’d have them wear a good mask if they go out—but preferably have them not go out. I wouldn’t send them to things like youth group or a party, but would let them run errands with a Kn95 mask.  In our vaxed house, we have chosen not to wear masks around vaxed family members who had an exposure, but every family needs to make their own choice about that. 

[KSera]

3 hours ago, athena1277 said:

On the news this morning, they were saying that most of the transmission is in the first few days, so B should be fine.  They also were saying that you could go out with a mask (5 days) once you were fever free for 24 hours.  The advice really sounded more like what doctors have been saying forever about flu and other colds.  

Just to add context to this, this shortened timeline was enacted due to concerns of everything shutting down due to so many people sick and people who are sick being out of the workforce for the full 10 days. So, if the concern is actually preventing a person a from exposing other people, it’s definitely better to wait the full 10 days and/or rapid test at the end to make sure no longer positive. A large portion of people continue to be positive during the 5 to 10 day period.

[SKL]

Well one of Person B developed mild symptoms yesterday, and got a very slight pink line on the home test today.  You almost can't see the pink line, but I'm pretty sure it's there.

At least now we know.  It's more stressful not knowing.