It takes over a week for contagiousness to go down once your symptoms begin.
To put it casually, things are getting bad. The White House coronavirus task force has issued an extreme warning this week as cases of COVID-19 continue to billow higher and higher across the country. Troubling but true, coronavirus fatalities have doubled in the US. This is compared with numbers documented between late May and early summer of 2020. Unfortunately, Canadians and those in other countries are also facing some of the darkest days of the pandemic so far with thousands of new daily cases.
What is being done to address the rise? The US task force is encouraging public health officials to deliver specific messages to the public. People should know that if you are over 65 or if you have prominent underlying health conditions that you should avoid entering all public places where people aren’t wearing masks. You should also have your medication and groceries delivered.
Related: 10 Best Pandemic Gifts
And there’s more. If you are under 40 and you celebrated Thanksgiving indoors with people other than those in your immediate household, you should consider yourself infected with COVID-19. No symptoms? You can still be infected. Most people will be asymptomatic, the task force states, and so anyone who celebrated with friends and non-immediate family should self-isolate.
If you do develop symptoms of COVID-19, get tested for the virus immediately. This is because the vast majority of tools doctors now have on-hand to lessen the blow of COVID-19 work best when they target the infection in its early stages.
When You Are Most Contagious
So, we finally cut to the chase. According to a study done by researchers at the University of St. Andrews, people with COVID-19 are most infectious in the first nine days after the start of their symptoms. Once you start feeling sick, and are diagnosed with a positive test, count back more than a week. Reach out to all people you have been in contact with and let them know you have the virus.
Who Needs to Isolate or Quarantine
If you have been diagnosed with COVID-19, health authorities in the US say you should self-isolate until you are no longer contagious. If you have been exposed to someone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 , officials say you should go into quarantine. What’s the difference? Both isolating yourself and going into quarantine are the same in practice. The term ‘isolation’ is used in connection with someone who has COVID-19, whereas ‘quarantine’ is used in connection with people who suspect or know they have been in contact with someone who has the virus, but they are not yet sick themselves.
Related: How to Make Your Pandemic Christmas Shopping Safer
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) you should go into quarantine if you were within about 6 feet of someone who has COVID-19 for a duration of 15 minutes or more. If you shared utensils with someone who has the virus-even if just for a moment- you should do so as well. Caring for someone with the novel coronavirus warrants quarantining, as does hugging or kissing them, and being around them when they are coughing and sneezing.
And For How Long
So, how long should you stay indoors away from others? There is some debate around this. The CDC states on their website that you should stay home for 14 days after your last interaction with the person who has COVID-19. Recent reports indicate that 7 to 10 days could be sufficient, however. If you are in quarantine and you haven’t developed any coronavirus symptoms after 10 days, you can end your time at home, the CDC states. If you haven’t had any symptoms and you get a negative COVID-19 test after just 7 days in quarantine, you can consider yourself in the clear.
How to Prepare for Isolation and Quarantine
Some may say you can never really be prepared for a positive COVID-19 diagnosis. You can, however, make sure your home has the essentials you need to get through one or two weeks inside.
You should have non-perishable food and cleaning supplies on hand to get your through, as well as all the medications you need and other necessary personal items. For a full list of what you need, click here. (It’s an article from earlier in the pandemic but the information still applies).
Protect yourself and others because you are worth it. Socialize outside, and do not have people other than your immediate family in your home. Stay safe.
photo credits: Lightspring/Shutterstock.com
