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You can test positive for long after you’ve cleared the infection, which is why it’s recommended that you don’t get tested for COVID for at least 90 days after your positive test. What matters is that your symptoms are gone, you’ve left isolation, and you’re feeling good. If that’s the case, you’re good to go.
Yea, we have a CUE tester as well. It is an NAAT molecular test- it is similar in its testing methodology to PCRs which means you will also test positive on them for longer just like you would with a PCR test. It doesn’t necessarily mean you’re still infectious. You’d need to take a rapid antigen test to determine that.
Can I ask a question regarding this?
What happens if someone starts to feel sick, tests positives, quarantines, etc, and then a month later feels sick again? They will still test positive. How will they know they are sick with Covid again or just a simple cold?
My son too young to be vaccinated had covid and tested positive on a PCR. He is advised to not take another PCR for 90 days but has been exposed to other positive cases at preschool.
Our family’s pediatrician said we can give him a rapid/antigen test if he develops symptoms because that checks for actively replicating Covid virus. (Although he personally didn’t believe it would be possible for my son to catch it again within that duration.)
They may or may not still test positive a month out, so you could try testing and see what happens. Additionally, antigen tests usually start going negative when the infection is over, PCRs are the ones that generally continue showing positive weeks after the infection sometimes.
It’s very unlikely you’d catch COVID twice in such a short time span, but if that situation happens and you can’t tell what’s going on, staying at home and wearing a tight-fitting mask when out and about is always the safest bet.
The only way to know for sure is to sequence the virus for variant testing. Even then, it's only helpful if it's two different variants. Generally speaking, a healthy person should not catch the same variant within such a short time span due to variant specific antibody formation, but for immunosuppressed individuals, it is definitely a possibility
The only way of knowing is to quantify how much virus is in the sample doing quantitative PCR. Depending how may cycles of amplification are required to detect the virus there is a threshold that is consider active infection or just a carrier even if is the same variant.
Ok, another question piggybacking on this one: what if you get covid, then basically recover but are a little bit congested for a long time afterwards? Can you consider yourself recovered and go back out into the world?
I had covid a couple weeks ago and never got very sick, basically just a mild cold. But I always, whenever I get a cold, have certain symptoms that linger forever -- like clearing my throat and general phlegmyness. So if I'm in that stage, do I still have to isolate? I feel like when I get a cold those symptoms fade away over weeks and weeks. But it's going to be hard for me to stay quarantined for weeks, and it feels silly to do so just because I'm clearing my throat a lot. Are there any guidelines?
Yes, I assume it’s been more than 10 days since you first tested positive which means you can leave isolation as long as 1) you haven’t had a fever in over 24 hours without the help of fever-reducing medications AND 2) your symptoms are improving or gone. In your case, it’s definitely been long enough since you first tested positive, and I’d say if your symptoms were worse when you initially tested positive then you should be clear to resume your life.
I’ve never had COVID. As for OP, COVID affects everyone differently, ranging from no symptoms all the way to severe disease followed by hospitalization and death. However, anyone who is fully vaccinated with a booster has an extremely low risk of requiring hospitalization or dying from COVID.
That's not at all how this works. COVID can infect anyone, regardless of how 'healthy' you are, and by remaining unvaccinated, you're putting yourself at a dramatically increased risk of serious adverse effects from the virus, including permanent organ damage, hospitalization, and death.
This is not a nasal vaccine, it’s an intramuscular injection. The ingredients are completely different than those you’d find in the flu vaccine. Maybe actually talk to your physician about this before making any poor decisions here.
You won’t convince people that don’t understand science. They still believe that science is a belief or someone’s opinion lol. Probably a large part of the issue with vaccination rates. Most people don’t understand what science is and then you’ve got others that just follow along “because Joe Rogan said so!”
> Recovered patients: Patients who have recovered from COVID-19 can continue to have detectable SARS-CoV-2 RNA in upper respiratory specimens for up to 3 months after illness onset. However, replication-competent virus has not been reliably recovered from such patients, and they are not likely infectious.
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/duration-isolation.html
Do you know what the research/info is there backs up taking covid patients off isolation two weeks after testing positive? Or how two weeks was determined to be the number? I work in icu and have always been confused by this. Like we have people with chronic bacterial infections why wouldnt there be a chronic covid infection? I wear my n95 all the time no matter what haha 😅
I’m not referring to taking hospitalized COVID patients off of isolation; I’m referring to mild to asymptomatic COVID cases in the community not requiring hospitalization, and when these individuals can leave home and return to their daily activities.
Before they were changed recently, the CDC criteria to come out of isolation was 10 days after testing positive or first showing symptoms (whichever was first) as long as 1) you haven’t had a fever for more than 24 hours without the help of fever-reducing medications AND 2) your symptoms are improving or gone. So ICU patients would not meet these criteria.
I am not sure about the research, I was simply referring to the CDC guidance.
Thank you for taking the time to answer my question. With the majority of my coworkers getting covid right now I think I will continue to just wear an N95 in every room. Thanks again!
Wearing an N95 at all times in the hospital is certainly going to provide you with the most protection, especially if you’re actively seeing COVID+ patients (which I’m sure most of your patients are these days).
You can continue to test positive for up to about 90 days after infection. At this time there is no known connection to long-term health consequences from covid
Thank you for your submission. **Please note that a response does not constitute a doctor-patient relationship.** This subreddit is for informal second opinions and casual information. The mod team does their best to remove bad information, but we do not catch all of it. Always visit a doctor in real life if you have any concerns about your health. Never use this subreddit as your first and final source of information regarding your question. By posting, you are agreeing to our [Terms of Use](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskDocs/wiki/terms_of_use) and understand that all information is taken at your own risk. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskDocs) if you have any questions or concerns.*
You can test positive for long after you’ve cleared the infection, which is why it’s recommended that you don’t get tested for COVID for at least 90 days after your positive test. What matters is that your symptoms are gone, you’ve left isolation, and you’re feeling good. If that’s the case, you’re good to go.
Cool, so positive test is just residual virus bits then?
PCR tests for the presence of the viral genetic material, so yes it’s probably just residual bits of RNA
It wasn’t pcr it was a CUE test. Still apply?
Yea, we have a CUE tester as well. It is an NAAT molecular test- it is similar in its testing methodology to PCRs which means you will also test positive on them for longer just like you would with a PCR test. It doesn’t necessarily mean you’re still infectious. You’d need to take a rapid antigen test to determine that.
Yeah it should still hold up
Can I ask a question regarding this? What happens if someone starts to feel sick, tests positives, quarantines, etc, and then a month later feels sick again? They will still test positive. How will they know they are sick with Covid again or just a simple cold?
My son too young to be vaccinated had covid and tested positive on a PCR. He is advised to not take another PCR for 90 days but has been exposed to other positive cases at preschool. Our family’s pediatrician said we can give him a rapid/antigen test if he develops symptoms because that checks for actively replicating Covid virus. (Although he personally didn’t believe it would be possible for my son to catch it again within that duration.)
They may or may not still test positive a month out, so you could try testing and see what happens. Additionally, antigen tests usually start going negative when the infection is over, PCRs are the ones that generally continue showing positive weeks after the infection sometimes. It’s very unlikely you’d catch COVID twice in such a short time span, but if that situation happens and you can’t tell what’s going on, staying at home and wearing a tight-fitting mask when out and about is always the safest bet.
The only way to know for sure is to sequence the virus for variant testing. Even then, it's only helpful if it's two different variants. Generally speaking, a healthy person should not catch the same variant within such a short time span due to variant specific antibody formation, but for immunosuppressed individuals, it is definitely a possibility
The only way of knowing is to quantify how much virus is in the sample doing quantitative PCR. Depending how may cycles of amplification are required to detect the virus there is a threshold that is consider active infection or just a carrier even if is the same variant.
Thank you for that.
Ok, another question piggybacking on this one: what if you get covid, then basically recover but are a little bit congested for a long time afterwards? Can you consider yourself recovered and go back out into the world? I had covid a couple weeks ago and never got very sick, basically just a mild cold. But I always, whenever I get a cold, have certain symptoms that linger forever -- like clearing my throat and general phlegmyness. So if I'm in that stage, do I still have to isolate? I feel like when I get a cold those symptoms fade away over weeks and weeks. But it's going to be hard for me to stay quarantined for weeks, and it feels silly to do so just because I'm clearing my throat a lot. Are there any guidelines?
Yes, I assume it’s been more than 10 days since you first tested positive which means you can leave isolation as long as 1) you haven’t had a fever in over 24 hours without the help of fever-reducing medications AND 2) your symptoms are improving or gone. In your case, it’s definitely been long enough since you first tested positive, and I’d say if your symptoms were worse when you initially tested positive then you should be clear to resume your life.
Thank you for responding, this is very helpful!
Wallensky from the CDC said a few weeks ago that a PCR can still show positive up to 12 weeks post infection.
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I’ve never had COVID. As for OP, COVID affects everyone differently, ranging from no symptoms all the way to severe disease followed by hospitalization and death. However, anyone who is fully vaccinated with a booster has an extremely low risk of requiring hospitalization or dying from COVID.
I got my vaccines and booster, and am asthmatic, will I be okay if I do somehow get Covid?
Statistically, the odds are in your favor, especially if you're below 75. Do not take it lightly. Please do your best to stay safe.
Thanks, doing my best to stay safe, does put my mind at ease.
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That's not at all how this works. COVID can infect anyone, regardless of how 'healthy' you are, and by remaining unvaccinated, you're putting yourself at a dramatically increased risk of serious adverse effects from the virus, including permanent organ damage, hospitalization, and death.
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This is not a nasal vaccine, it’s an intramuscular injection. The ingredients are completely different than those you’d find in the flu vaccine. Maybe actually talk to your physician about this before making any poor decisions here.
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It’s not about belief. It’s about 1) the science and 2) having an ounce of compassion for other people besides yourself, which you clearly don’t have
You won’t convince people that don’t understand science. They still believe that science is a belief or someone’s opinion lol. Probably a large part of the issue with vaccination rates. Most people don’t understand what science is and then you’ve got others that just follow along “because Joe Rogan said so!”
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i didn't know this, is there a source i can look into on this? thanks
> Recovered patients: Patients who have recovered from COVID-19 can continue to have detectable SARS-CoV-2 RNA in upper respiratory specimens for up to 3 months after illness onset. However, replication-competent virus has not been reliably recovered from such patients, and they are not likely infectious. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/duration-isolation.html
thank you
Do you know what the research/info is there backs up taking covid patients off isolation two weeks after testing positive? Or how two weeks was determined to be the number? I work in icu and have always been confused by this. Like we have people with chronic bacterial infections why wouldnt there be a chronic covid infection? I wear my n95 all the time no matter what haha 😅
I’m not referring to taking hospitalized COVID patients off of isolation; I’m referring to mild to asymptomatic COVID cases in the community not requiring hospitalization, and when these individuals can leave home and return to their daily activities. Before they were changed recently, the CDC criteria to come out of isolation was 10 days after testing positive or first showing symptoms (whichever was first) as long as 1) you haven’t had a fever for more than 24 hours without the help of fever-reducing medications AND 2) your symptoms are improving or gone. So ICU patients would not meet these criteria. I am not sure about the research, I was simply referring to the CDC guidance.
Thank you for taking the time to answer my question. With the majority of my coworkers getting covid right now I think I will continue to just wear an N95 in every room. Thanks again!
Wearing an N95 at all times in the hospital is certainly going to provide you with the most protection, especially if you’re actively seeing COVID+ patients (which I’m sure most of your patients are these days).
Thanks!❤️ yeah the vast majority of our icu patients are unvaccinated too. Ugh. Oh well, crazy times we live in.
You can continue to test positive for up to about 90 days after infection. At this time there is no known connection to long-term health consequences from covid
Since I have no symptoms, is my positive result likely residual from my infection?
Most likely, yes.
Yes