These were the guidelines emailed to me after the cubbies tested positive. Full Disclaimer: What I’m about to say here may not be a popular opinion, but I’m going to say it anyway.
As far as I’m concerned, what the first sentence said is all I needed to know (and already knew) once my cubbies tested positive: Isolate for 10 days.
Boom. Done.
It is my humble opinion that the 5-day guidance was created because of pushback. I’m not invalidating any one person’s reason to pushback. It is what it is. However, for me, the operative word in this guidance is “must.”
MUST we end isolation after 5 days or is it more of a WANT/NEED?
I understand antigen tests can be taken 5 days after diagnosis to safely dictate returning to work or school, but I also know from my own experience that the kits aren’t consistent. We all already know this though...don’t we? Once I got the first positive, I did improv confirmatory testing for all the cubbies. Just as I suspected, there was an inconsistent mix of positives and negatives on THREE different brands that I used back to back on the same kid. Hence my scheduling PCRs for the whole den the next morning.
I’m not trying to bash brands here, but let’s just say I was surprised at the outcomes.
If you’ve been keeping up with my stories these last few days, there is a reason why you see me using different brands every day. I have zero symptoms, but I test daily to keep my last “men” standing, safe.
So as we enter day 5, will a single negative antigen test dictate whether or not I send my kids back to school on Friday? HELL TO THE NAH.
I’m thankful that 6 of the 6 infected in our household have gone without fever for well over 48 hours now, but that ain’t enough for me. I’ll spare you the report out, but there are varying degrees of symptom improvement ‘round here. They’re doing 10 days on the inside whether they like it or not
I think that interpretation of whether or not “symptoms are improving” can be subjective. And for some, decision-making time could be influenced by needs or wants. I legitimately had someone tell me that they were asymptomatic, but also that they “had a little sore throat but that was it.” This person ended up returning to work and spreading it to their colleagues because they didn’t isolate for long enough. The antigen test was negative so they thought they were good.
There is a difference between SYMPTOM-FREE and HAVING SYMPTOMS — no matter how mild. (Link to CDC isolation guidelines below.)
Back to the unpopular opinion part: If you’ve had symptoms of any kind — just do the 10 day isolation period. Or at a minimum, test on different kits back to back if you must you return to work/school/gen pop whatever you want to call it after the 5-day mark.
I know my kids caught COVID from school, but since we get contact notifications several times a week between all of them, it’s hard to say who Patient Zero is in our household. They all tested at the same time. Like I said, I don’t rely solely on antigen tests because of the inconsistency so I scheduled a PCR for them the next morning.
The den had a good run dodging COVID all this time. And while I’m overwhelmed that we’re here, I’m also relieved that I now know the unknown.
I also can’t help but think that we’re finally here because we live in a society where “must/need” is bringing people back too early with “improved symptoms” furthering the spread. Or, perhaps families are relying on antigen tests alone when they should still schedule a PCR at the onset of any symptoms. Like I said — no judgement — I’m just reflecting on this now that I have the capacity to do so. I know it will reek of privilege for me to say this, but our school community has convenient and abundant access to pooled testing, antigen kits, and walk-in PCR testing.
I don’t understand why these resources aren’t being utilized to effect that I’m still getting COVID notifications so often that it has become normal.
For my family, I don’t care if it’s a tickle in their throat or a runny nose, I don’t send them to school unless they are tested. Some of the cubs were blessed with my trifecta (asthma/allergies/eczema) so we test like crazy around here. At its peak when access to antigen tests and PCR appointments were slim, I’ve waited in cold lines on January mornings, holiday weekends — you name it — just to make sure we kept others around us (and each other) safe. I’ve had a lung collapse — been on ventilators in the ICU three times in my life — in addition to having two kids with rare hemophilia.
We do not play around here.
Now that COVID is in my home, I wear N95s 23/7 — even in my sleep! I only take breaks from masking when the sickies are isolated in their rooms and everything has been sanitized.
Whether or not my efforts to stay negative will be futile, remains to be seen.
It has been my social observation in my work and in my personal life, that for some, there is an unspoken shame or embarrassment that comes with COVID diagnosis. I saw it with my own family the minute their rapid tests came back positive. I witnessed two simultaneous, fear-based reactions: What will this do to me and what will people say about me?
I had those feelings, too.
Now that my family is here, I think it’s important that we normalize this conversation because this is everyone’s new normal.
Once I shared my experience, I had all sorts of private messages from people who willingly shared their own experiences, tips & tricks, and recommendations with me. In its own way, it was wonderful and normalizing.
(Yes, even the well meaning, but slightly annoying messages from a small faction of folks coming out the woodwork with messages that had me thinking they didn’t know the f*ck I izzz and how I do do, mayne! P.S. Yes, I am making sure to sanitize my hands. Lol.)
Ever since I stopped blogging, IG has become my community of sorts, and while I know I can share the rigamarole of all the home remedies and treatments I already know because of what I do for a living, I’m sharing my opinion on this one piece, in case it helps someone else.
To reiterate: Got COVID? 10 day isolation OR simultaneous testing on different brands — if you have access — if you must return after the 5-days.
I’m rooting for you either way, friends. May the odds be ever in your favor and may the force be with you. 💚
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/duration-isolation.html
