10 days - Is it really enough time?

[hollie29x]

My partner started with a runny nose on Monday, LFT & PCR positive on Thursday (no tests done before this as symptoms really were minor & none of which were typical Covid symptoms)

His symptoms have now gone and he feels fine but still isolating in the bedroom away from us.

We plan for him to continue isolating until Thursday. Thankfully myself (34weeks pregnant) and my children are negative for now but I am so anxious he will come out on Thursday and infect us all meaning we will be unwell Christmas Day .. am I overthinking it?

He is isolating in the bedroom on his own for 10 days?
😲

Keep him in there a couple days more

OP please, just Google 'when are you most infectious covid' and there's lots out there.
Your husband was most infectious directly before he started showing symptoms and for the first few days after.
"COVID-19: when are you most infectious?" theconversation.com/amp/covid-19-when-are-you-most-infectious-150760

@Somepup100 yes .. I don't know what other option we have 🤷🏻‍♀️

Your other option is to allow him out of his bedroom! And yes, definitely definitely after 10 days!

OP, NO! He won't infect you when he comes out at 10 days. It's already a margin of a few days after when he would have been infectious. Of course, he may have infected you before he was symptomatic, but that's why you should be taking daily LFT's. Have you been doing this?

His been in the bedroom since Thursday. He obviously comes out to use bathroom and I take food up to him. His also been in the garden and garage doing some tidying to keep himself busy. At 34 weeks pregnant I don't want to risk catching it so staying away from each other seems the most sensible option x

Yes myself and the children have done daily LFTs. I have also done two PCRs which have been negative.

That's good to hear OP. So, honestly, he is clear after 10 days.
Good luck with the baby! What a stressful time to live through. X

I isolates for 10 days in my room. Wouldn't want to pass it on to everyone else. I went back to work at school on day 11.

There is the tiniest chance that yes he might still be infectious. It’s a minuscule risk but it is there.

However, they picked a timescale and 10 days is currently where they feel it’s ‘safe’ for people who tested positive / have symptoms to come out of isolation.

The truth is, no one really knows for sure when they stop being infectious. He could be infectious longer than 10 days or he could already be ‘safe’.

Short of locking people up forever you just need to take a chance and ‘trust the science’.

10 days is too much. The infectious period is pretty short.

I stayed away from DH until he tested negative on a lateral flow. That was day 16.

@Whatdoyawannado

I stayed away from DH until he tested negative on a lateral flow. That was day 16.

He could have tested positive for up to 90 days after. Poor DH.

He could have tested positive for up to 90 days after.

On a PCR, not a lateral flow. Lateral flows only test positive when a high viral load is present.

10 days is too long!

I understand your extra worry as you’re pregnant, but 10 days really is too much. This country is full of healthy people sitting around at home while their colleagues struggle to cover their work. People need to start getting back out when they are better, just like they would with any other illness.

10 days already gives a margin of error iirr.
If he no longer has a temperature at the end if 10 days he no longer needs to isolate. So,e other symptoms may persistent but he is very unlikely to be contagious at that point.

Even without isolation you may not catch it. Dh and teen Dd didn't catch it from me and we didn't isolate. Dh slept in the same bed as me.

Iirr you're more contagious just before you know you have it anyway.

@Whatdoyawannado

I stayed away from DH until he tested negative on a lateral flow. That was day 16.

Testing positive on an lft/pcr doesn't mean he is still in the contagious stage.

@Gingerbreadhoose

He could have tested positive for up to 90 days after.

On a PCR, not a lateral flow. Lateral flows only test positive when a high viral load is present.

Really? I work for NHs and was told after I had covid not to test for 90 days on lateral
Flow as could potentially still show as positive

In a number of studies last year no one was still shedding live virus after day 9 (you can still shed viral RNA for a couple of months, which is why you can still test positive, but you don't shed live virus). See paper in the Lancet So, assuming that hasn't changed with new variants, ten days is enough.

I work for NHs and was told after I had covid not to test for 90 days on lateral

I know. Their advice is wrong. It's a bloody shambles.

Testing positive on an lft/pcr doesn't mean he is still in the contagious stage.

Not on a PCR, but testing positive on an LFT is an indicator of high viral load, so yes it does tend to indicate that.

Would a negative LFT indicate that his no longer contagious or not necessarily?

@Gingerbreadhoose…..I’m interested to hear a bit more about positive lft…..DD positive lft Sunday 12/12, confirmed with positive pcr on 13/12 so out before Christmas Eve. However, lft shows positive still…..would you suggest to wait for clear lft before Christmas Day with elderly g parents? Two sets at different times (one set staying for Christmas Day and lunch, the other for mince pies in garage…one of those GP are CEV hence them choosing not to come indoors) We’ve been really careful and don’t want blow it for the one day. TIA and apols for hijack OP!

@hollie29x

Would a negative LFT indicate that his no longer contagious or not necessarily?

Well summarised!!