How long will I stay positive

[Marchmaker]

I had symptoms on the 7th December tested pos 11th December needed a test for work ( They know iv had covid already) and it's returned positive still. I have explained that track an trace said it's fine at this point and it's off my old infection but work will not have me back now 😩 where do I stand in this? How long will these tests stay positive does anyone have any idea? Iv been feeling rough still could this be why I mean I'm fine but just wondering now.

You arent supposed to get tested within 90 days of a positive test as it can pick up fragments of the old virus and give a positive result even when you are no longer contagious

My friend, who needs to travel back to the US for work (she is relocating) tested positive for Coronavirus on 20 November. She’s still testing positive, so can’t get on a flight. Another colleague took over three months until he was clear. Perhaps this is why the infection rates are so high in U.K.- people assume they are no longer contagious after two weeks, and this is not the case? I’m not in U.K., but you need a negative test here before you are deemed to be clear of the virus, and for a lot of people this has been longer than two weeks.

You can test positive after infection without being contagious:

Immunocompetent staff, patients and residents who have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 byPCRshould be exempt from routine re-testing (for example, repeated whole setting screening or screening prior to hospital discharge) within a period of 90 days from their initial illness onset or test (if asymptomatic) unless they develop new COVID-19 symptoms. This is because fragments of inactive virus can be persistently detected byPCRin respiratory tract samples following infection – long after a person has completed their isolation period and is no longer infectious.

If a person is re-tested within 90 days from their initial illness onset or test date and found to still be positive for SARS-CoV-2, a clinically-led approach should be used to interpret the result and inform subsequent action taking into account several factors, such as:

COVID-19 symptoms
underlying clinical conditions
immunosuppressive treatments and conditions
additional information such as cycle threshold values

Seek advice from an infection specialist as required.

@dementedpixie that doesn’t help if you need a negative test for getting on a flight though.

I'm just telling you the reason for still testing positive. Doesn't mean they're contagious though

@dementedpixie but how do you know if you are contagious? My friend’s doctor has told her they have no way of knowing if she is still contagious and that she should continue to self isolate until she gets a negative test.

www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/duration-isolation.html

This explains it more clearly