Isolation period cut short, but what we need to keep in mind
Since the onset of coronavirus, COVID testing has become a crucial diagnostic tool, which not only determines the presence of the virus in the body, but also determines your isolation period.
As per the recent guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people who test positive, but are asymptomatic, can end their isolation after just five days. Similarly, people who develop symptoms, may end isolation if they've been fever-free for over 24 hours and have no other COVID-associated symptoms.
The US health agency also recommends people to take a rapid antigen test at the end of day five of isolation. If the results come out as negative, people can end isolation immediately. However, experts believe there could be a chance of people testing positive late into their infection, even after their symptoms are resolved. But how is that possible?
Why do some people continue to test positive even after they have recovered?
Usually, people with COVID-19 continue to test positive for the virus for about six to 10 days i.e. with an at-home rapid test. With an RT PCR, it could stretch longer.
According to infectious disease experts, many COVID-19 patients can test positive for the virus for weeks or even months. A PCR test looks for viral fragments in the body. Even if one has recovered from the disease, has no symptoms, a test result can come out as positive since the test can still detect the presence of viral particles in the body. However, it is less likely for them to tell if the virus is active or if the person is infectious.
Does testing positive weeks after infection mean you're still contagious?
Experts believe that having a positive result late into one's infection does not equate to being infectious.
If you continue to test positive for COVID-19 even after your symptoms have resolved and you have completed your isolation period, it could be due to many factors. While a lateral flow test is less sensitive to viral proteins called antigens and therefore is less likely to give a positive result several days post-infection, a PCR test can pick up the presence of even a few viral fragments, given that it is programmed to detect the viral genetic material of the SARs-COV-2 virus.
However, on a positive note, testing positive with a PCR test does not necessarily mean you're contagious. Research suggests most people will no longer be contagious 5 to 6 days after symptoms appear. As per several studies, people are most infectious between 2 and 3 days before and 8 days after symptom onset.
While PCR tests are extremely accurate in detecting COVID-19, currently, rapid antigen tests, which are said to detect high viral loads, are thought to be more reliable in telling people whether or not they could still be contagious.
Also read: Coronavirus: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Omicron; know what studies say about next
If you continue testing positive, what should you do?
Although according to the US CDC, a person is less likely to spread the virus to someone 10 days after becoming symptomatic, they can still test positive. In light of such events, experts have advised people to stop taking the tests repetitively, until and unless they are immunocompromised.
Given that it could take over 10 days for the body to clear the virus from the body, one could continue to test positive, but not be infectious. However, wearing masks, taking preventive measures and maintaining distance from high risk group people are still recommended for people who continue to test positive.