How do you know how long you are infectious for with this newer variant of Covid?

[bookmarket]

I'm on my 5th day of testing positive. It's getting fainter and fainter. My symptoms started 8 or 9 days ago. The past 5 days my only symptom is fatigue/dizziness. What are the current knowns about when we are most contagious to others?

Watching with interest as am at a similar stage!

Following with interest. Tested positive this morning. First time ever. Headache, aching limbs, sinus and ear pain. Thought that I'd escaped it 😢

I've had to cancel some lovely plans for the rest of the week. 🤞🏼 it clears up quickly.

Well I got better from covid about 2 weeks ago after feeling ill for a few days. The last time I tested, which was 8 days ago, I was still strongly positive. So I can’t answer as I don’t know! I’ve run out of tests and don’t want to pay for more.

This is the advice from the NHS website:

What to do if you've tested positive for COVID-19

If you have COVID-19, you can pass on the virus to other people for up to 10 days from when your infection starts. Many people will no longer be infectious to others after 5 days.

You should:

• try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for 5 days


• avoiding meeting people at higher risk from COVID-19 for 10 days, especially if their immune system means they’re at higher risk of serious illness from COVID-19, even if they’ve had a COVID-19 vaccine

This starts from the day after you did the test.

If a child or young person aged 18 or under tests positive for COVID-19, they should try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for 3 days. This starts from the day after they did the test.

Children and young people tend to be infectious to others for less time than adults. If they’re well and do not have a temperature after 3 days, there’s a much lower risk that they’ll pass on COVID-19 to others.

If you are testing positive on LFDs, you are likely to be infectious to others. LFDs are good at picking up infections with higher viral loads.

My day 7 test was as strongly positive as my first, getting fed up with cabin fever now

LFTs register the amount of virus you're shedding. You'll be shedding even if it's faint. We insist on at least two completely clear tests before staff are allowed back to work fully masked. You'll only know from testing, everyone's response is potentially different.

There's no limit to reinfection hence isolation will clear it from everyone more effectively. Of course, if you're near people happy to transmit, and that's an issue for you, high filtration masks properly used are your only risk reduction option.

But there are studies that say even if you’re still testing positive after 10 days, chances are the test is just detecting dead virus material that’s not actually contagious anymore.

i know I would feel happier if I tested negative though before seeing my old parents!

The detection of viral genetic material is from PCR tests. LFT tests detect antigen levels, hence they tend to yield more false negatives (possibly from swabbing issues). If you try your level best to swab properly, taking your time, and get even a trace, you're almost certainly infected,

I was recently still testing positive on the LFT 11 days after the start of symptoms. As it happens I live in a country with mandatory 10 day quarantine (although you can test yourself free with two negative official LFTs in a row) so I just stayed at whole for that entire 10 days, plus the extra positive day, and then wore a mask in shops etc for a few days after that. Interestingly, I didn‘t infect my adult DC even though I hugged them the evening before the symptoms started.

Why are you testing every day? There is no longer a requirement to have two negative tests in order to come out of isolation. I’m on day ten and haven’t been testing, after my initial positive test. I isolated for 5 days as per the guidance. The only reason I would test is if I go and see my elderly mum.

I’m completely confused by what the requirements are now. Most people seem to go out when they test negative. What happens with family members who aren’t showing symptoms though?

@KatharineofAragon Yes that's what people I know have been doing. The NHS guidance assumes you don't have access to tests and says with symptoms stay away from people in general for 5 days and from the vulnerable for 10. In practice, taken strictly, that could mean a lot of isolating as the range of symptoms is wide, so I think people with tests left or who buy them, are using them as an extra guide, especially when it comes to vulnerable family.

Really depends on the individual.
I'm 17 days in and still not well enough for longish dog walks, gym visits or alcohol.

Oh and I haven't tested to see when I stopped testing positive. Wasn't well enough until Day 10 to be in company anyway and we have very few free tests left which I'm keeping for visits to my elderly DPs.

This one seems to have a longer incubation period!
DS1 tested positive on Sunday 17th, DH on the Thursday, then me this Wednesday. We just stayed in. DH and DS1 are both testing negative now anyway.

I felt ill Monday but tested positive Tuesday and still positive today
My OH tested positive yesterday. My son been testing negative.

It just feels like bad cold today and headache.

Its simple and clear

You test positive - you stay isolated for 5 days (guidance not rules)
If you feel better (no temperature, no longer feeling unwell), you are done and can go out and about.
If you still have a temperature you wait until you feel better/temp goes down.

You don;t need to keep testing until negative

Surely you are still infected and contagious though if still positive?

Antivirals being sent out this afternoon. 🤞🏼I feel better soon?!

@KatharineofAragon - yes, a positive LFD means you are likely to be infectious. A negative doesn't mean you don't have covid, but if you do you are unlikely to be infectious at the time the test was done. But without free tests, the guidance assumes no one can test - that's why it asks you to stay away from particularly vulnerable people for the full ten days. You are not done and dusted at 5.

www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/self-isolation-and-treatment/when-to-self-isolate-and-what-to-do/

As this thread and others show though, plenty of people are testing, either using the end of their free tests or buying them from eg Boots. I'd much rather test at under 2 quid if going indoors with others than isolate for 5 days because I've got a runny nose.

Weird. Tested positive on Wednesday and negative today!

I felt a lot better during the day yesterday on day three. Thought I would be fine today. Instead I’ve had another awful night. Freezing cold, aching all over. Everything hurts like hell. Dry mouth and constant thirst despite drinking huge amounts of water. This thing is horrible.

@KatharineofAragon I hope you feel better soon. Rest plenty.....

@weebarra, could you have been positive for a while before Wednesday or had you several negative tests?