Why do Trump's staff have to isolate for 14 days?

[Leafyhouse]

Can someone advise me? Secret Service rules are that anyone in contact with the President or his circle must be tested daily. If you're one of the President's staffers, and you've been tested and cleared, surely you don't need to isolate from each other for 14 days unless you've been in contact with someone who's tested positive?

I'm not some ardent Trump supporter myself, but I don't like media bias in either direction, and I'm wondering if a storm is being created over nothing. Yes, I know about his little jaunt risking secret service lives earlier today, but this is more about logic. Do these people really need to isolate?

They’ve been in contacted with Trump who has tested positive...?

I haven't got a clue what the rules are in the US but in the UK they'd have to isolate because a negative test isn't proof of not having the virus in the incubation period (during which tests would come back negative as the virus isn't present at detectable levels).

But he has it..

One test can't say if they are incubating.
Your logic makes sense if they continue to be tested daily even on their days off & away from Prez, for 14 days.

Well yes, but if they subsequently test negative, do they need to spend the next fortnight in isolation?

ps: depends on DC & VA & DE/MD rules, they are probably each different.

Because you can incubate it without testing positive. Testing negative on Day 4 doesn't mean you won't test positive and be infectious on Day 6.

Bear in mind that a lot of politicians, particularly in the US, have an average age of Absolutely Ancient and you really don't want these people to be doing their normal pre-election work unless you are quite literally trying to kill off large sections of the Republican Party.

If they contracted the virus from Trump it can take up to 14 days to develop. A negative test could still mean it's in the incubation period.

Yes they still have to isolate, just as anyone who's had contact with an infected person or returned from a country not on the safe list.

The test cannot detect whether their bodies are incubating the virus, which can take up to 14 days to produce symptoms.

It's not that difficult. Precautions in the White House have been non existent with no masks and no social distancing. Did you see all the hugging going on at that Rose Garden event? They've relied far too heavily on testing and this is where we are now - numerous infections amongst the staff and people close to Trump. They had better isolate.

It can take up to 14 days for a positive test after been in contact with a person who is positive.

There has already been positive tests Days after trump tested positive and all of them had a few negative tests for a few days. His press secretary just tested positive having been in conntact with hicks last week and she has a few negative tests.

They recommend that if you are with a person who had tested positive that you quarantine for 14 days even if you have had a negative test.

@Leafyhouse

Well yes, but if they subsequently test negative, do they need to spend the next fortnight in isolation?

It makes total sense. The maximum incubation period is believed to be 14 days. So you could test negative on day 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13.... And then be positive on day 14. Very unlikely, as the average is around 5 days, but why take the risk?

Of course they need to isolate after contact with a positive case. The incubation period is up to 14 days so even if they test negative early on they still need to isolate until 14 days have passed

So

1, Trump has tested positive

1. They are in close contact
2. The virus can take up to 14 days to incubate

4 Testing daily won’t matter, cos on day 1 and 2 it could be negative and in day 3 positive and how many people will they have been in contact with on days 1 and 2? Thus they then have to isolate

Hope that’s makes sense

I don't know if anyone here knows this but I remember reading in the early days that some people had (apparently) incubated much longer than 14 days. And that 14 days was therefore landed on as a sort of reasonable length of time people could be asked to iosolate, but actually no guarantee still that it was long enough in all cases. Anyone know the facts?

As others have said, it can take up to 14 days after contact with the infected person for it to develop enough for a positive test result. The negative results before than mean nothing, although the daily testing means catching positive cases quickly helping to track the spread.

@Leafyhouse

Can someone advise me? Secret Service rules are that anyone in contact with the President or his circle must be tested daily. If you're one of the President's staffers, and you've been tested and cleared, surely you don't need to isolate from each other for 14 days unless you've been in contact with someone who's tested positive?

I'm not some ardent Trump supporter myself, but I don't like media bias in either direction, and I'm wondering if a storm is being created over nothing. Yes, I know about his little jaunt risking secret service lives earlier today, but this is more about logic. Do these people really need to isolate?

Because relying solely on testing is what got them into this situation. Testing is important, but it needs to be used with masks and social distancing.

Jesus christ! Do you really not get this? Or are you being obtuse?

@giletrouge I read of a patient in NZ who tested positive on day 17. So yes, possible.

@giletrouge

Here is a plot of incubation times. Average is about 5 days, over 95% are in 14 days. To catch the other 5% you’d have to isolate for over 20 days which, as you say, isn’t realistic given the small risk at that stage.

Thanks @Quarterback11 and @peakotter that's really helpful. So there could and almost undoubtedly are people who quarantine for two weeks and are subsequently positive - which is worth bearing in mind and understanding. Basically no measure in and of itself fully protects - as the WHO says all of it is important.

@peakotter that's really useful, where do those graphs come from, do you have a link? Thanks

@Augustbreeze I’m afraid I just did a google image search for “coronavirus incubation period” and selected one that came from a reputable academic site!

It’s better to search on google scholar or similar. I was a bit rushed putting kids to bed sorry. Link is www.cambridge.org/core/journals/epidemiology-and-infection/article/estimation-of-incubation-period-and-serial-interval-of-covid19-analysis-of-178-cases-and-131-transmission-chains-in-hubei-province-china/C1B194C01268F005AAFBE8D50CB5F945/core-reader