Testing for Covid then staying in…what’s the deal?

[Bellballbune]

I haven’t been feeling well for a couple of days, so out of curiosity I did a Covid test and it was positive - never had it before.

So, once I feel better can I go out - or am I still obliged to stay in? Most people I know aren’t even testing.

It's a conundrum. Officially, you can go about your business as if you didn't have it but morally, should you? I've had it twice and stayed in until I felt better/tested negative.

I suppose it depends on your work policy and if you're around vulnerable people.

Covid tests are proven not fit for purpose. They turn positive with Fanta etc. I'd assume its just a cold and go out when ready. Keep hygienic of course but that should be taken as read.

Just treat it like any other illness! If you feel unwell then stay at home. If you feel ok then get on with things as you usually would.

You are usually negative after five days. If you do go out, keep slightly away from people. That should apply to flu etc as well.

do whatever you want

Covid tests work very well when used as instructed. The fact that you can break them using fruit juice doesn't mean they aren't accurate for mucus. If she's got a positive result then it's extremely unlikely she's not got Covid.

The question is what she should do about it. Personally I'd tell work and WFH, and stay away from crowded areas, but I wouldn't judge the OP if she didn't feel that was practical in her circumstances.

😄 It should be fine as long as the OP isn't swilling Fanta as they're doing the test.

You've shared mis-information, either knowingly or not.

It’s fine - I work from home, so that’s more an issue. It’s been three days. I think I will stay in until Sunday/monday, then go out after that. I’ve never tested positive before so I can only assume the test is correct.

This is blatantly untrue. Of course if you abuse any test by using a substance it's not designed for it will fail. If it's used correctly it will work and give results as intended.

When I had it I avoided my exercise classes and if I went to the shop I wore a mask.

after 3 days i should think you could pop to the shop,
just avoid close contact until the weekend

Yes, you can go out but I really don't know why people bother testing if they're intending to carry on as normal. I don't test any more.

I know, I wish I hadn’t tested. I don’t know why I did

Even the inventor of the test says it was never designed to be used to test for live viruses. It can turn positive on month old dead cells. Do some peer reviewed research before pinning your life on a falsity.

Do what you feel like. i tend to stay home as much as possible when unwell anyway.

Easier when you work from home.

I work on a ward and basically we can work with symptoms of any illnesses, we can wear a mask. We aren’t encouraged to test, no free tests for ages now. I wouldn’t work if i felt very unwell but i do work with a sniffle/start/end of a cold.

You're getting your conspiracy theories mixed up mate. That's the one about PCR tests. You wouldn't know peer-reviewed research if it bit you on the bum 🤣

That's utter crap!

It can turn positive on month old dead cells.

You're mixing up your rumours.
That's one for a PCR rather than the rapid ones!

Go out as normal unless you feel too ill to do so.

No doubt you will.get people on here telling you ,you MUST stay in ,in reality many people are expected to go Into work etc even if they test positive assuming they are well.enough, not everyone has the luxury if being able to work from home
Even my sons special school who, have some extremely clinically vulnerable children, expect students to go in if they are well enough .

No you are referring to the inventor of PCR tests - Kary Mullis. Not lateral flow tests that don't use PCR. Somehow I don't think you are getting your (mis) information from peer-reviewed research!

Because you're human, and it's natural to want to know.

If you feel well enough to work/go out then do. If you are going to be crowded close to random strangers for extended periods (e.g on an overcrowded rush-hoir train for 30 mins+) then wearing a mask would reduce the number of viral particles you spread.

Isolating positive cases was vitality important for a while, when herd immunity was nonexistent and the capacity of the nhs would have been totally overwhelmed with natural viral spread and the number of people who would have got really ill from it.

It's simply not like that any more. For the vast majority of people if they get it, it's mild and requires no hospital treatment. For the extremely clinically vulnerable - most have been given regular additional vaccine boosters and are unlikely to catch it from you, and significantly less likely (as compared to in 2020) to get extremely poorly.

Isolating yourself now would be really only in order to protect someone who is extremely clinically vulnerable and for some combination of elaborate reasons cannot have the vaccine, cannot wear a mask or otherwise protect themselves from interaction with you, and spends enough time close to you to recieve an overwhelming load of viral particles. In the balances of probabilities and cost-benefit ratios it's simply not sensible for ordinary people to self isolate when they feel well enough not to.

No you’re not obliged to stay in, most of us aren’t even testing. I’ve had many colds this winter (toddler at nursery), I wouldn’t stay in for a cold unless I was really unwell so I’ve probably gone out with covid.

Thanks all, appreciate it.