What COVID Tests Can (And Can't) Tell You About Being Contagious

  • 📰 HuffPostParents
  • ⏱ Reading Time:
  • 48 sec. here
  • 2 min. at publisher
  • 📊 Quality Score:
  • News: 22%
  • Publisher: 53%

United States Headlines News

United States Latest News,United States Headlines

Some people test positive for weeks or months after they've recovered. Here's why — and what to do if that's you.

that you re-test with a PCR for 90 days — unless you develop symptoms during that time and a health care professional decides it is necessary for you.While you don’t need to take a rapid antigen test to end quarantine — and you might not be able to get your hands on one right now — if you do take one on day five, for example, and it comes back positive, you might still be contagious.

“You are potentially infectious; likely much less so than you were on day three,” Schaffner said. Rapid antigen tests are useful for detecting high viral loads, so a positive result likely means you’re still shedding the virus, which likely makes you more contagious.it’s not yet clear whether rapid at-home tests “give a good indication of transmissibility at this stage of infection.

Remember, even after you’ve had COVID — and even if you’re vaccinated and boosted — it’s critical to continue to following public health guidelines around masking, social distancing, etc. As with everything else during this pandemic, the situation is fluid and experts are still discovering the best public health measures as things change.

Experts are still learning about COVID-19. The information in this story is what was known or available as of publication, but guidance can change as scientists discover more about the virus. Please

 

Thank you for your comment. Your comment will be published after being reviewed.
Please try again later.
We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:

 /  🏆 414. in US

United States Latest News, United States Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.