Regardless of when you end isolation, anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 should take certain precautions for 10 full days, the CDC says including masking around others, avoiding travel and limiting contact with people who have a high risk for severe COVID-19. Many of the at-home tests the government sends out, as well as those you may have purchased, are good to use for six months or more. Another possibility is that people exposed to large doses of the virus might take longer to clear it from their systems, said Aubree Gordon, an infectious disease epidemiologist at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. A test-based strategy is no longer recommended to determine when to discontinue home isolation, except in certain circumstances. Definitely, ideally, you'd be seeking out that test at five and I would do it again, you know, at the seven, potentially at that 10. Saving Lives, Protecting People, Given new evidence on the B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant, CDC has updated the, The White House announced that vaccines will be required for international travelers coming into the United States, with an effective date of November 8, 2021. Danielle St. Laurent for The New York Times. Its probably a good idea, out of an abundance of caution, to still wear a mask for 48 hours until they can take another test, she adds. Indeed, scientists disagreed on the best course of action for people who test positive for more than 10 days. This suggests that at the end of an infection, there may be a brief period during which the tests are simply detecting lingering bits of viral protein. According to the studies that the CDC cites, its pretty uncommon to be able to grow infectious virus from a sample taken after 10 days of infection. Even if it is an imperfect tool, not everyone is down on using a rapid antigen test. See How All 50 Wards Voted in the 2023 Chicago Mayoral Election, Who is Brandon Johnson? And that's particularly true for people who keep testing positive late into their infections. Some people with severe illness (e.g., requiring hospitalization, intensive care, or ventilation support) may remain infectious beyond 10 days. In a study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases in June, researchers found that 17% of participants had active viral cultures beyond day five. A Boston University study revealed that just 17% of people were likely still contagious six days after their first positive tests. You can also take a test before attending an indoor gathering, especially if you know you won't be wearing a mask. Several infectious-disease experts said they believe patients with covid should have a negative antigen test which gives results within minutes before exiting isolation. By now, youre probably very familiar with the guidance: If you test positive for the coronavirus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, you should isolate for 10 days, with some options, involving testing and masking, to leave before that. But exactly how contagious you are will change depending on where you are in the infection, he explains. If you're going to be around other people, he recommended avoiding enclosed spaces with others and wearing a mask (ideally an N95, KN95 or KF94) when coming into contact with other people. A very small number did have virus that could be cultured eight days after symptom onset. Regardless of when you end isolation, anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 should take certain precautions for 10 full days, the CDC says including masking around These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. In fact, a study co-authored by Landon followed health care workers at the University of Chicago who had been infected but were feeling mostly better and went to get tested after five days. But its actually very difficult to tell from a rapid antigen test if youre still infectious after a period of having COVID. One is if youre immunocompromised, because, as previously mentioned, it could take longer than 10 days for your body to clear an infection, or you might need extra help to do that. "Going to the shops with a mask on, that's a different kind of risk consideration.". Scientists are not sure why some people test positive longer than others and find that even some young, healthy and fully vaccinated people may test positive for an extended period. That's especially true if you're fully vaccinated, any symptoms you developed have resolved, and you continue to take other precautions (especially masking) until you get a negative result. "What folks really need to understand is that right now we are in flu season and RSV season and we still have COVID hanging around," Dr. Emily Volk, president of the College of American Pathologists, tells TODAY.com. "Only about 17% of those who we looked at still had what looks like viable COVID out past five days," says Dr. Karen Jacobson, an infectious disease specialist at the Boston University School of Medicine and one of the study's authors. But people tend to be most infectious right at the beginning of their COVID-19 infection. The CDC suggests getting tested for COVID-19 before and after traveling. But this is asking a lot of folks, she adds. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cited these findings when explaining its decision to shorten its isolation guidelines late last year. James Hay, who studies infectious disease dynamics, remembers earlier this year when his sister continued testing positive for two weeks. Try to take a rapid test as close to the time of your departure as possible to get the most accurate reading. Unlike PCR tests, which search for genetic material from the virus, rapid antigen tests work by looking for the proteins that are packed inside the virus. But, as experts told TODAY.com previously, rebound cases appear to be generally mild and, crucially, antiviral medications are still keeping people out of the hospital. After all, Baird points out that these tests were never designed to function as get-out-of-isolation cards. You can leave isolation after five days if you never developed symptoms or if you had symptoms that are improving (including at least 24 hours without a fever and without the use of fever-reducing medications), the CDC says. And remember that even a faint line on a home COVID-19 test should be considered positive. After contracting Covid-19, some people may continue to test positive on rapid tests for 10 days or longerand experts are split about whether these individuals should According to Dr. K.C. And research done by the CDC shows about half of people were still testing positive on the antigen test between five and nine days after symptom onset or diagnosis. Clinical Research. Most people with COVID-19 aren't contagious for more than 10 days after In the most general terms, people will likely test positive on an at-home rapid COVID-19 test for about six to 10 days, Dr. Stephen Kissler, a postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard T.H. Serial testing prior to ending isolation can be considered in consultation with infectious disease experts. Its probably not realistic that most of the population is going to follow those instructions, even though that would be the best scenario possible.. If you dont, then theres no point in doing the test. These recommendations do not apply to healthcare personnel in the healthcare setting, and do not supersede state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations. All rights reserved. And a third study, of 260 vaccinated health care workers in Chicago, found that overall, 43% were testing positive on rapid antigen tests five to 10 days after infection with omicron even though they felt well enough to return to work. But Hay cautions there is considerable variation in the studies because of small sample sizes, differing populations, how the rapid tests are done, the vaccination status of who's being tested and how healthy they are, among other factors. What Actually Just Happened With the Lab-Leak Theory? But she says infectiousness drops significantly at eight days, with few people remaining contagious at 10 days. You might be able to begin slowly sort of reintegrating while still being mindful of your contact," Kissler said. "The flip side was that if you had a positive rapid [test], about half of the people still had culturable virus and half did not," says Jacobsen. And, of course, if you're concerned about how long you've been testing positive, check in with a health care provider for their guidance on your individual situation, Kissler advises. In both of these situations, it can take longer to clear an infection because the immune system cant get it under control. If you develop any symptoms that might signal COVID-19, you should take a home test immediately, the CDC says. After 10 days, nobody in the study had infectious virus detectable on a PCR test. Some recommended that people isolate until they test antigen-negative, even if it takes more than 10 days. "You can still have positivity that may persist for weeks and even months," he explains, noting that positive tests on PCR have been recorded for up to 60 days. At-home antigen tests may return positive results for 10 days -- or even longer, up to 14 days, according to The New York Times. CDC twenty four seven. Some researchers have criticized these rules pointing to research that shows some people may remain infectious after day five. Beyond that, scientists disagreed. Instead, you should follow your symptoms and count the days and continue to mask up around others. For some people, theyre seeing fairly prolonged courses of being antigen-positive, Dr. Grad said. The winter holiday season came and went quickly. The two experts I checked with, Coffey, as well as Dr. Robin Colgrove, an assistant professor and infectious disease specialist at Harvard Medical School, agreed that after 10 days of isolation, you probably dont need to keep testing at all if youre not immunocompromised. If you keep testing nonetheless, and your rapid test does turn up positive after 10 days, Coffey advises that you take additional precautions, like wearing a mask, keeping If you have to be around others, you should wear a high-quality mask, such as a N95 or KN95 respirator. And, of course, there's the common cold to think about, as well. According to a new analysis of people who sought repeat testing at a California site during the Omicron wave, an estimated 71 percent were antigen-positive four days after their symptoms appeared or after they first tested positive for the virus. Additionally, if youre caring for an immunocompromised person, you probably want to test negative first. A positive antigen test could essentially be picking up leftover viral "garbage," which can include "dead viruses, mangled viruses viruses that are 90% packed together but not really going to work," says Baird. In that case, you should check with your doctor, the experts said, but a home rapid test could also come in handy at that point. In the most general terms, people will likely test positive on an at-home rapid COVID-19 test for about six to 10 days, Dr. Stephen Kissler, a postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard T.H. Taking a rapid test can also help you determine whether to spend time with people who are particularly vulnerable to severe COVID-19 symptoms, like those with certain underlying health conditions. These cookies perform functions like remembering presentation options or choices and, in some cases, delivery of web content that based on self-identified area of interests. That makes it difficult to predict exactly how many days someone will test positive. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. ), Those studies were done pre-omicron. Combined guidance on ending isolation and precautions for adults with COVID-19 and ending home isolation webpages. Again, you should keep wearing a mask when you're around other people for 10 days. But, as experts told TODAY.com previously, rebound cases appear to be generally mild and, crucially, antiviral medications are still keeping people out of the hospital. Dr. Allison Arwady, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health, previously said PCR tests are more likely to continue picking up the virus following infection. "You can still have positivity that may persist for weeks and even months," he explains, noting that positive tests on PCR have been recorded for up to 60 days. However, Dr. Stephen Kissler, a postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard T.H. Isolate and take precautions including wearing a high-quality mask to protect The most frequent symptoms these days include sore throat, runny nose, congestion and sneezing. CDC is not responsible for Section 508 compliance (accessibility) on other federal or private website. It is safest to continue to isolate until you no longer test positive, the experts stressed. It's particularly important to rule out COVID-19 if you're feeling under the weather before getting your updated COVID-19 booster shot, experts told TODAY.com previously. If you test positive for COVID-19, you should follow instructions from your doctor and the CDC about isolation. Chan School of Public Health. But this is asking a lot of folks, she adds. As long as you continue to test positive on a rapid at-home test, you should still consider yourself potentially contagious, Kissler says. And some had positive viral cultures for as long as 12 days after the onset of their symptoms, suggesting they could still be contagious even past the 10-day mark. As BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 spread, the most common COVID-19 symptoms are changing too, TODAY.com reported previously. Precisely why some people test positive longer than others is not entirely known. Whats Going on With the Brooklyn Alligator. Doctors. In some cases, these people may still be shedding infectious virus, but in others, the tests may be picking up viral debris from a waning infection, experts say, making it difficult to know how to interpret the results. But, what happens if you keep diligently swabbing your nose and keep getting that telltale pink line? For someone who is still testing positive for COVID-19 after day 10, its unlikely that theyre going to be very infectious, Volk says. People who are infected but asymptomatic or people with mild COVID-19 should isolate through at least day 5 (day 0 is the day symptoms appeared or the date the specimen was collected for the positive test for people who are asymptomatic).