ToddyHill said:

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Eric,

So sorry to hear you are positive. That said, welcome to the club! (actually I'm being sarcastic). I was Symptomatic on May 1, and tested positive three days later. This virus has kicked my arse...though I'm recovering, I've never been this tired and weak. I have no idea how long this will take to fully recover (though I suspect at my age, 63, it's one of the reasons it has been so tough).

Glad to hear that the Health Department is not requiring you to test negative to be released. I'm outside of Knoxville, and was told if I were tested after I was released I'd test positive for several weeks, due to dead virus in my throat and nose.

I can't stress how important it is to get that Pulse Ox. That was huge for me, and brought me a tremendous amount of peace of mind.

Stay hydrated, take those pills, check your temperature often and check your oxygen saturation.

Oh, one other thing. The Health Department said the one symptom that will linger after I'm released is the dry cough. They said I will have that cough for weeks. That's a bummer because I cough like crazy at night when I'm in bed.

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eric76 said:

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SoulSlaveAG2005 said:

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Mark the day your symptoms end. Then count out 28 days, and register to give plasma with your local blood bank.

If you are in the panhandle, as I surmise it would be with coffee blood center.

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That's a great idea. It will give me a good excuse to go to Amarillo and maybe eat lunch at Wesley's Bean Pot. Also, I need to go to Cavender's sometime anyway.

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ToddyHill said:

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Eric,

When you be released from isolation by the Health Department?

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eric76 said:

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My niece put on facebook that I have covid-19 and got 90 likes.

I'm not sure what to think about that.

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eric76 said:

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My niece put on facebook that I have covid-19 and got 90 likes.

I'm not sure what to think about that.

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74OA said:

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Apparently current quarantine measures and repeated testing don't always suffice to ensure someone is virus-free.

CARRIER

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BiochemAg97 said:

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74OA said:

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Apparently current quarantine measures and repeated testing don't always suffice to ensure someone is virus-free.

CARRIER

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If you catch it during the test, testing negative doesn't help.

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aggiebrad94 said:

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SPOILER ALERT!!!!

Upload hasn't been out that long. Grrrrrr

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ToddyHill said:

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FYI,

The Health Department in the county I reside, and the Health Department in the county where I work (they are adjoining counties), did not require negative test results as a condition of releasing me from isolation (which occurred yesterday). They said there was a good chance I'd throw a positive due to dead virus in my nose and throat. I was symptom free for the last four days (no fever) of my isolation.

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Quote:

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For Persons with COVID-19 Under Isolation:
The decision to discontinue home isolation for persons with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 should be made in the context of local circumstances. Options include a symptom-based (i.e., time-since-illness-onset and time-since-recovery strategy) or a test-based strategy. Of note, there have been reports of prolonged detection of RNA without direct correlation to viral culture.

1). Symptom-based strategy

Persons with COVID-19 who have symptoms and were directed to care for themselves at home may discontinue isolation under the following conditions:

At least 3 days (72 hours) have passed since recovery defined as resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications and improvement in respiratory symptoms (e.g., cough, shortness of breath); and,

At least 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared.

2). Test-based strategy Previous recommendations for a test-based strategy remain applicable; however, a test-based strategy is contingent on the availability of ample testing supplies and laboratory capacity as well as convenient access to testing.

Persons who have COVID-19 who have symptoms and were directed to care for themselves at home may discontinue isolation under the following conditions:

Resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications and
Improvement in respiratory symptoms (e.g., cough, shortness of breath), and
Negative results of an FDA Emergency Use Authorized COVID-19 molecular assay for detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA from at least two consecutive respiratory specimens collected 24 hours apart (total of two negative specimens)*. See Interim Guidelines for Collecting, Handling, and Testing Clinical Specimens from Persons for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Of note, there have been reports of prolonged detection of RNA without direct correlation to viral culture.

For Persons Who have NOT had COVID-19 Symptoms but Tested Positive and are Under Isolation:

Options now include both a 1) time-based strategy, and 2) test-based strategy.

1). Time-based strategy

Persons with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 who have not had any symptoms and were directed to care for themselves at home may discontinue isolation under the following conditions:

At least 10 days have passed since the date of their first positive COVID-19 diagnostic test assuming they have not subsequently developed symptoms since their positive test. If they develop symptoms, then the symptom-based or test-based strategy should be used. Note, because symptoms cannot be used to gauge where these individuals are in the course of their illness, it is possible that the duration of viral shedding could be longer or shorter than 10 days after their first positive test.

2). Test-based strategy

Persons with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 who have not had any symptoms and were directed to care for themselves at home may discontinue isolation under the following conditions:

Negative results of an FDA Emergency Use Authorized COVID-19 molecular assay for detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA from at least two consecutive respiratory specimens collected 24 hours apart (total of two negative specimens)*. See Interim Guidelines for Collecting, Handling, and Testing Clinical Specimens from Persons for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Note, because of the absence of symptoms, it is not possible to gauge where these individuals are in the course of their illness. There have been reports of prolonged detection of RNA without direct correlation to viral culture.
The symptom-based, time-based, and test-based strategies may result in different timeframes for discontinuation of isolation post-recovery. For all scenarios outlined above, the decision to discontinue isolation should be made in the context of local circumstances.

Note that recommendations for discontinuing isolation in persons known to be infected with COVID-19 could, in some circumstances, appear to conflict with recommendations on when to discontinue quarantine for persons known to have been exposed to COVID-19. CDC recommends 14 days of quarantine after exposure based on the time it takes to develop illness if infected. Thus, it is possible that a person known to be infected could leave isolation earlier than a person who is quarantined because of the possibility they are infected.

This recommendation will prevent most, but cannot prevent all, instances of secondary spread. The risk of transmission after recovery is likely substantially less than that during illness; recovered persons will not be shedding large amounts of virus by this point, if they are shedding at all. Employers and local public health authorities can choose to apply more stringent criteria for certain persons where a higher threshold to prevent transmission is warranted.

For certain populations, a longer timeframe after recovery may be desired to minimize the chance of prolonged shedding of replication-competent virus. Such persons include 1) healthcare personnel in close contact with vulnerable persons at high-risk for illness and death if those persons get COVID-19 and 2) persons who have conditions that might weaken their immune system which could prolong viral shedding after recovery. Such persons should consult with their healthcare provider; this might include additional PCR testing. Prolonged viral shedding has been demonstrated without direct correlation with replication competent virus.

Footnotes

*All test results should be final before isolation is ended. Testing guidance is based upon limited information and is subject to change as more information becomes available. In persons with a persistent productive cough, SARS-CoV-2-RNA might be detected for longer periods in sputum specimens than in respiratory specimens.

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BowSowy said:

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Still doing well, Eric?

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