Do you need to report a positive COVID-19 test?

Do I need to report the results from my self-test? CDC strongly encourages everyone who uses a self-test to report any positive results to their healthcare provider.

Am I infectious if I have a positive COVID-19 test result?

These people who have a positive test result should be considered infectious and remain isolated until they again meet criteria for discontinuation of isolation or of transmission-based precautions. Contact tracing during the person's second episode of symptoms is warranted.

What are the guidelines for people who test positive for COVID-19?

Stay home, except to get needed medical care. Stay home from work and school, and avoid other public places including the store. If you must go out, avoid public transportation or ridesharing/taxis. Stay far away (6 feet or more) from other people. Wear a mask at all times and wash or sanitize your hands often.

Who is responsible for reporting COVID-19 tests?

The testing site that performs the COVID-19 test is responsible for reporting to the appropriate state or local public health department.

What to do if I am diagnosed with COVID-19?

As much as possible, stay in a specific room and away from other people and pets in your home. If possible, you should use a separate bathroom. If you need to be around other people or animals in or outside of the home, wear a mask.

Tell your close contacts that they may have been exposed to COVID-19. An infected person can spread COVID-19 starting 48 hours (or 2 days) before the person has any symptoms or tests positive. By letting your close contacts know they may have been exposed to COVID-19, you are helping to protect everyone.

• Additional guidance is available for those living in close quarters and shared housing.
• See COVID-19 and Animals if you have questions about pets.
• If you are diagnosed with COVID-19, someone from the health department may call you. Answer the call to slow the spread.

How to Do an At-Home COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Test Correctly

What is the recovery time for the coronavirus disease?

Early research suggested that it could take 2 weeks for your body to get over a mild illness, or up to 6 weeks for severe or critical cases. Newer data show that recovery varies for different people, depending on things like your age and overall health.

What can you take to lessen the mild COVID-19 symptoms at home?

Using over-the-counter medications when necessary. If you have a high fever, you can take a fever reducer, such as acetaminophen, to help bring it down. If you have body aches, a sore throat or cough, a pain reliever can help lessen the discomfort these symptoms can bring.

Is the testing site or referring facility responsible for reporting COVID-19 cases?

The testing site that performs the COVID-19 test is responsible for reporting to the appropriate state or local public health department. Please note that state licensure requirements, as well as accrediting organizations’ standards for reporting SARS-CoV-2 test results, might be more stringent than CLIA and require dual reporting. These more stringent requirements must be followed.

Exceptions for the performing reporting requirements might include a hospital system that centralizes data, i.e., a reference lab that has no connection to the patient’s state but sends the data real time to the facility that referred the specimen that does have that connection, etc.

Who is responsible for investigating COVID-19 cases and communicating who was exposed to them?

Health departments are responsible for conducting COVID-19 case investigations and contact tracing and often have legal mandates to investigate cases of communicable disease and a duty to notify contacts that they were exposed. Health departments should initiate investigations as quickly as possible.

How soon should contacts of a confirmed COVID-19 case be notified?

A close contact to a patient with confirmed or probable COVID-19 should be notified of their exposure as soon as possible (within 24 hours of contact elicitation). The patient may elect to notify some or all of their close contacts before the contact tracer.

The identity of the patient or other identifying information will not be revealed, alluded to, or confirmed by the contact tracer, even if explicitly asked by a contact.

How long should you isolate after a positive COVID-19 test?

If you test positive or have symptoms End isolation on Day 6 if: You test negative, AND. Have no fever for 24 hours without taking fever-reducing medication, AND. Your other symptoms are gone or going.

How long could you be contagious with COVID-19?

"Youve gotta stay home for five days because typically those first five days are when you are the most contagious," Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said. "But in those days six to 10, some people still can be spreading virus."

How long do most people continue to test positive for COVID-19?

According to the New York Times, the omicron variant of the coronavirus moves quickly, with viral levels typically peaking less than five days after the virus is first detectable. However, some people will continue to test positive for the virus even up to 14 days later.

Are recovered persons with persistent positive test of COVID-19 infectious to others?

Persons who have tested persistently or recurrently positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA have, in some cases, had their signs and symptoms of COVID-19 improve. When viral isolation in tissue culture has been attempted in such persons in South Korea and the United States, live virus has not been isolated. There is no evidence to date that clinically recovered persons with persistent or recurrent detection of viral RNA have transmitted SARS-CoV-2 to others.

Despite these observations, it’s not possible to conclude that all persons with persistent or recurrent detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA are no longer infectious. There is no firm evidence that the antibodies that develop in response to SARS-CoV-2 infection are protective. If these antibodies are protective, it’s not known what antibody levels are needed to protect against reinfection.

What does it mean if you tested positive for COVID-19?

With a confirmed positive COVID-19 test, you are most likely being sent home to rest, stay away from others, and recover. This is the case for more than 95% of people, as their symptoms do not require hospitalization. Some people have a higher risk for complications and should be monitored extra closely.

At what point after infection with COVID-19 will there be enough antibodies to be detected in an antibody test?

After infection with the COVID-19 virus, it can take two to three weeks to develop enough antibodies to be detected in an antibody test, so it's important that you're not tested too soon.

Antibodies may be detected in your blood for several months or more after you recover from COVID-19.

What is the key role of epidemiologists during the COVID-19 pandemic?

A key role of epidemiologists during the COVID-19 pandemic is to estimate the burden of disease: the impact of a disease or other health outcome on a population. As scientists collect data from the COVID-19 studies, they are analyzing these data to estimate key outcomes, such as the number of infections, illnesses, medical visits, hospitalizations, and deaths.

What is the CDC case surveillance program for COVID-19?

CDC uses national case surveillance to: Track the spread of COVID-19 to identify areas of concern and inform state decision-makers. Help state and local public health departments better control COVID-19 by evaluating trends in case demographics, exposures, and outcomes to identify groups most at risk.

What does a contact tracer do?

Contact tracers need to quickly locate and talk with the patients, assist in arranging for patients to isolate themselves, and work with patients to identify people with whom the patients have been in close contact so the contact tracer can locate them.

Can you contract COVID-19 through sexual intercourse?

Although there is currently no evidence that the COVID-19 virus transmits through semen or vaginal fluids, it has been detected in the semen of people recovering from COVID-19. We would thus recommend avoiding any close contact, especially very intimate contact like unprotected sex, with someone with active COVID-19 to minimize the risk of transmission

What are the risks of false negative COVID-19 results?

Risks to a patient of a false negative result include: delayed or lack of supportive treatment, lack of monitoring of infected individuals and their household or other close contacts for symptoms resulting in increased risk of spread of COVID-19 within the community, or other unintended adverse events.

What is the FDA doing to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic?

FDA staff are working around the clock to support development of medical countermeasures and are providing regulatory advice, guidance, and technical assistance to advance the development and availability of vaccines, therapies, diagnostic tests and other medical devices for use diagnosing, treating, and preventing this novel virus. The FDA continues to monitor the human and animal food supply and take swift action on fraudulent COVID-19 products.

How can I speed up the healing time of the COVID-19?

Some of the things you can do to speed your healing are similar to how you might take care of the flu or a bad cold. Eat healthy foods. If you feel like eating, fuel your body with the vitamins and nutrients it needs to get better. Limit sugary or highly processed foods like cookies and sodas.

Can I recover at home if I have symptoms of COVID-19?

If you have a fever, cough, or other symptoms, you might have COVID-19. Most people have mild illness and are able to recover at home. If you are sick:

• Keep track of your symptoms.
• If you have an emergency warning sign (including trouble breathing), call 911.

Can ibuprofen worsen the symptons of the coronavirus disease?

CDC is currently not aware of scientific evidence establishing a link between NSAIDs (e.g., ibuprofen, naproxen) and worsening of COVID‑19.