An upcoming blog post will tell you what our policies are that we think we’re doing right, but first, here are ways that you (and millions of people) may be doing it wrong:
Wrong: requiring a negative PCR test after having had the disease, before being allowed to (return to work) (play tennis) (compete in the Olympics) etc. ==> “A PCR test might say you're positive for coronavirus for three or four weeks after you've recovered because it's still picking up past infection and the small fragments (of the virus) are still being amplified...” (PCR vs. Antigen Tests - Covid-19 Wellness - CNN.com 1/19/2022) And sometimes even longer than that!
Wrong: at the first blush of symptoms, taking an antigen test. Not enough time for the virus to get to detectable levels, so you will get a negative result whether you are infected, and infectious, or not. (Special Reports - Medpagetoday.com 1/20/2022)
Wrong: requiring or using any covid-19 test with a negative result with the testing time as much as 48 or 72 hours in advance before you are allowed into the event or onto the cruise ship, etc. “If the requirement is a PCR within like 72 hours of travel or similar, a lot can happen in those three days.” (PCR vs. Antigen Tests - Covid-19 Wellness - CNN.com 1/19/2022)
Wrong: returning to work today because some number of days have elapsed, even though you just tested positive with an antigen test. “As long as you continue to test positive on a rapid at-home test, you should still consider yourself potentially contagious, Kissler said. … It is safest to continue to isolate until you no longer test positive, the experts stressed.” (Still Testing Positive Covid-19 - Today.com 1/18/2022)
Wrong: returning to work after having covid-19 because you have a negative antigen test result on, say, day 3. “The first test should not be taken before the fifth day after symptoms have started (or the day a [positive] test was taken if symptoms were not present).” (Special Reports - Medpagetoday.com 1/20/2022) And wow, consider this: “… almost a third of people with COVID-19 were still contagious five days after symptom onset or a positive test.” (How Long Is Contagious Infectious Period With Omicron, Delta - Businessinsider.com 1/22/2022) And after ten days, 5% were still infectious!
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