Could someone reassure me about the 10 day thing..

[Mykittensmittens]

DD is day 6. Still some time to go, and I could still theoretically catch it.

However with lots of time to think I’m pondering the 10 day thing. She mentioned today she can’t wait for a hug on day 11, and to be able to move freely round the house more (we are trying to keep her and her vulnerable sibling separate).

So how safe are we on day 11 to literally return to normal, and for me to go into her room (I’ve not been in for a week, feels very odd!) and clean and so forth. And stop following her with spray and a wipe!! Should I have any caution?

And if she still has a cough, how do I have reassurance that cough isn’t Covid participles?

You can tell me I’m being paranoid if I am!!

It wouldn't have occurred to me to do any of that in the first place to be honest. I caught Covid first and then accepted that DS would probably catch it too rather than faff about trying to avoid it.

Ah sorry, I missed the vulnerable sibling part. Apologies.

You’ve not hugged your 6 year old or been in her room for a week . Seriously go and hug her immediately and stop leaving her alone in her room . Vulnerable sibling or not this is cruel .

I'm the CEV one and my DC's have covid. I'm going with 14 days to be safe and a deep clean before going back in (I've moved out). If they are coughing I would swerve them as much is possible and reinforce hygiene etc. Tricky times!

I said the same to ds and he said that actually it's day 8 that you're less likely to be infectious and the 10 day thing is just a safety net. I gave adult ds a massive hug, poor boy had been so good about keeping himself away from us.

How old is your child?

The OP doesn't say the ages of her DC you've misread.

If your other DC is that vulnerable then her sibling could wear a mask if still coughing I guess, but you aren't supposed to be infectious once the temperature has gone I think because if you still have one after day 10 you have to continue to isolate.

@Imnothereforthedrama

You’ve not hugged your 6 year old or been in her room for a week . Seriously go and hug her immediately and stop leaving her alone in her room . Vulnerable sibling or not this is cruel .

She's not 6 she's on DAY 6.

Covid cough can last for weeks or months. When I had Covid I was told by T&T that I should continue to isolate after 10 days if I had a temperature, D&V, sneezing. But if I just had a cough or loss of sense of smell/taste and no other symptoms then I could go out. So I presume that's the bench mark for contagious?

The cough can last for weeks so I wouldn't use that as a marker for being contagious or not

What age is your child? I couldn't imagine avoiding my dc's and leaving them alone in their room for 10 days in isolation.

Someone can remain symptomatic after 10 days but no longer contagious. It’s probably possible albeit unlikely to still be infectious after 10 days, it used to be 14 days so you could go by that if wanting to be extra cautious. So depends how much is riding on those hugs - it’s a different situation if DD is 22 vs 8!

@Imnothereforthedrama where on earth did I say she’s 6??

She’s 13, and she’s not been locked in her room FGS. She’s sitting with me now eating, outside. She’s watched TV with me every night, but been in her room sleeping a lot and doing school work while I’ve been working.

@HPandTheNeverEndingBedtime - she’s never had a temp and does cough but it’s far more sporadic than I imagined it to be, maybe 4/5 times a day.

Thanks everyone anyway. She’s not overly cuddly anyway to be fair, but understanding it’s unlikely and why is helpful.

@Mykittensmittens covid is so weird DD is also on day 6 and her temp has only dropped under 39 when she's had paracetomal.

I hope she's feeling better soon.

I know of 2 couples who tested positive on day 12 after one of their offspring had Covid. I wouldn't be hugging your clinically vulnerable child on day 10 I'm afraid. One of the couples was my brother the other a very close friend - and it was at a time when they had to isolate for 10 days so hadn't seen anyone else.

@bigbluebus this is my biggest fear - doing this back to back and still not managing to keep it from DS.

[quote Mykittensmittens]@bigbluebus this is my biggest fear - doing this back to back and still not managing to keep it from DS.[/quote]
I'm assuming that they contracted it towards the end of the isolation period but just didn't test positive until day 12. IIRC friend and her husband did a test on day 9 or 10 as their isolation ended and both tests were negative. Day 12 they both had symptoms so tested again and were positive. Although they had been out in the intervening 2 days they hadn't been in contact with anyone.

That’s such bag luck @bigbluebus and I hope rare.

BAD luck 🙄

Tbh we would be unable to isolate really, we just don’t have the space.

However, I don’t think there is really an answer to this. There will always be the risk.

I think 10/ 14 days is just a figure they came up with based on data.

You will never know for sure that she is ‘clear’, just that ‘most’ people are.

Just come out of isolation (on 17th) following being positive - was called on Day 9 by T&T and was told as above - stay isolated if I still had a temperature, D&V's or sneezing. A cough or loss of smell / taste can go on for ages after and not a sign of being contagious. Stopped coughing about a week after isolation & still have no sense of smell (& therefore taste). Catching it depends a lot on close face to face (breath to breath) contact & viral load - so if your DD hasn't been very ill and /or has been jabbed (or you have) then that greatly reduces the chances of transmission. My DS, 2x DD (one of whom is unvaccinated) & MIL (who eats supper with us every night) didn't catch it from me.

Also regarded her room / touching her - Lancet studies of the data suggest that touching surfaces were greatly over estimated at the start of the pandemic as a vector of transmission. Current thinking is that you'd need to touch a surface that DD had directly coughed or sneezed over in the last 30 mins or so and then you'd need to put your hands near your mouth & nose. Transmission by fomites is what it's formally called.

@1stWorldProblems that’s helpful and reassuring thanks.

T&T have not called other than the initial call when they run through the prior 7 days and contacts, etc. I’ll await their day 9 call!

Very helpful to hear that about surfaces. I’ve literally no need to go in her room, so I’m not. She manages her own cups straight into the dishwasher which I leave open ready, and when she has enough laundry for a load she puts it in the machine that I leave open and closes the door with clean hands. I then switch it on and dry/iron it, she puts it away. She’s been happy to put herself to bed since term started as long as I stick my head round before I go to bed, which I still have but very briefly. She’s emptied her bin into a knotted bag and put that in the bin outside herself. She’s very capable. And not so poorly that it’s an effort. So I’m not deliberately avoiding touching stuff but then if I can, I will. I have cleaned door handles twice every day that she has used or try to leave them wide open so she doesn’t have to and we are very lucky she can have the sole use of one bathroom which I will want to do a deep clean on by day 11.

But it is very interesting about surfaces - maybe I read recently about a study on the trains in London which said something similar? It’s coming back to me now!

Ventilation is far more important than touch for stopping spread but also more expensive to fix - the trains often have sealed unit windows these days so difficult to air. Plus having someone cleaning touch points reassures people that companies are doing something / that they care even if it appears to have no real affect of preventing the spread of the virus.

@1stWorldProblems we’ve been so blessed with this weather. We’ve eaten every meal outside so far and had windows/doors open constantly. Really lucky.