Asymptomatic corona recovery time

amother

Wed, Jul 15 2020, 3:20 pm

anyone have experience with this? My teenage son has asymptomatic corona. tested positive (tested due to known exposure). retested 13 days later and still tests positive with no symptoms at all! The rest of the family tested negative. He needs to stay in quarantine (in his bedroom) until he gets 2 consecutive negative tests. Does anyone know how long it should typically take to test negative? He is really miserable being locked up and we were certain he would test negative by now. I have doubts if the test is accurate or possibly lost/mixed up? We have heard stories of this type of thing happening (in israel). Is it logical he is still positive? How soon should we push for a retest?

Elfrida

Wed, Jul 15 2020, 3:57 pm

If the first test came out positive, the second one is five days later. MDA are under a huge amount of pressure, so it may take a day or two longer. You don't have to push. The request comes up automatically.

And yes, it happens. Even with asymptomatic cases. What is even more frustrating is when the first test is negative and the second one is positive. Sometimes it develops into a cycle of positive, negative, positive, etc and that is even worse.

If he is asymptomatic he will be released automatically after thirty days, regardless of test results. Hopefully it won't take that long.

Elfrida

Wed, Jul 15 2020, 4:43 pm

I've just heard a report on the radio that they are planning to abandon the retesting, and anyone asymptomatic will automatically be released after fourteen days. I don't know if and when this will apply. I also don't know if this will require a מכתב שחרור, and if so who would give it, or if it just means they can go free with no further concerns.

I haven't got the new nohal from Misrad HaBriut, and I don't know details. I also don't know how it would apply in your case, when you have just got a second positive test. I'll know more in a day or two.

Your kuppah should be able to give you more details tomorrow afternoon. Don't call in the morning. They'll still be figuring out the details.

Elfrida

Wed, Jul 15 2020, 5:07 pm

Simple1 wrote:

I'm confused. In April they were advising 7 days from onset, with 3 of them symptom free.

They were. And we saw huge amounts of positive tests, and lots of people going into the positive, negative cycle.

To avoid that, shortly after Pesach the timing for retests changed.

The first test is twelve days after diagnosis.

If that is negative, the second test is three days later. If they are both negative the person is considered recovered and is released.

If the first retest is positive, the second one is five days later, to give more time to to fully recover. After that tests are every three days, until you get two successive negative results.

Because of the current pressure on MDA, the intervals are often longer than the official guidelines.

But, all that could be about to change. The are seriously considering release after fourteen days with no further testing. It would make life easier, but I don't know that medically it is a good idea. A lot of people still test positive after fourteen days. It isn't clear how much they are capable of spreading the virus at that stage.

Mama Bear

Wed, Jul 15 2020, 7:45 pm

Its crazy that theyre still requiring 2 negative tests. Some people can test positive for weeks and weeks but theyre no longer contagious. 3 days after a person is symptom free - no cough, no fever - they are no longer contagious. these tests are so flawed; people have tested positive and negative a day apart. My cousin who had covid in March, had to test in order to be allowed in to a postpartum convalescent home and she tested positive. There's no way she's still contagious four months later. These tests are so unreliable.

amother

Burgundy

Wed, Jul 15 2020, 7:57 pm

This whole thing is so ridiculous. First of all, recovery? How do you recover when not even sick? The tests are unreliable. So many stories of false positives. So many doctors saying that the chances of spreading the virus without symptoms is so unlikely. There is really no good reason for any of this. Very frustrating. This is why I refuse to get tested under and circumstances. Well, hope he can get out of lockdown soon.

amother

Thu, Jul 16 2020, 2:17 am

Thank you so much for your replies - especially Elfrida!
I thought he needs to wait another 12 days before retesting. You said its officially 5 - is that 5 from the day of the test or from getting the positive result? I think I will request a retest for sunday then since his previous one was monday.

Elfrida

Thu, Jul 16 2020, 3:09 am

It should be five days from the test, but MDA often take five days from the result. That wasn't a problem when results came out within a day or so of the test, but now there is a much longer delay it us becoming more of an issue.

You don't need to request the retest. The request (and hafnaya) is automatically generated by the computer system, and MDA should call you to arrange when to come.

amother

Cerulean

Thu, Jul 16 2020, 4:15 am

Elfrida wrote:

Some nudnik questions because you seem to have a plethora of knowledge:

If you were symptomatic for a few days-- had a fever and cough that went away and now you are asymptomatic -- would you be considered the same as a person who was always asymptomatic, at least from the date when your symptoms went away?

If you reported a few odd symptoms like loss of sense of smell, but no fever or cough, would you be considered asymptomatic?

Thanks!

amother

Cerulean

Thu, Jul 16 2020, 4:52 am

amother [ Burgundy ] wrote:

There is really no good reason for any of this. Very frustrating. This is why I refuse to get tested under and circumstances.

Agreed. I would also refuse to get tested unless I was symptomatic and needed the positive test to get sick days from work.

If I were freelance or worked from home and we're symptomatic, I wouldn't test unless it got so bad I felt I needed to go to the hospital.

Also because I heard the test HURTS

amother

Thu, Jul 16 2020, 5:21 am

I don't know if they didn't test us thoroughly but it didn't hurt at all. We tested the whole family so the rest of us could get on with our lives in good conscience (after quarantining for 2 weeks). Schools etc. needed that reassurance from us that we hadn't been infected from him since we had all been exposed to him before he went into quarantine.

Elfrida

Thu, Jul 16 2020, 3:38 pm

amother [ Cerulean ] wrote:

First, thank you, and second my 'plethora of knowledge' only applies to Israel. I'm not familiar with the way they regard differnt symptoms in other countries. I didn't hear any more about removing the requirement for testing for release, who h could mean that the Knesset didn't pass it or that they are still discussing it.

In terms of defining how severe symptoms are:
Mild - loss of sense of taste/smell, loss of appetite, mild weakness, lack of energy
Medium - cough, vomiting, diarrhoea, fever up to 38 degrees
Severe - bad cough, severe shortness of breath, high fever, O² saturation below about 92.

That is a basic summary, and all symptoms have to be put into the context of the patient. This is applicable for someone being treated at home; once they need hospitalization there are a whole new set of criteria that apply.

As long as someone wasn't hospitalized at any stage, and have been completely asymptomatic for at least 48 hours, they qualify for testing for release. Presumably also for release without testing if this proposal goes through. If they still have a lingering cough, or sense of taste and smell hasn't fully returned, that isn't a problem, and they'll test negative more often than not.

Mama Bear

Thu, Jul 16 2020, 6:52 pm

Simple1 wrote:

This thread is so foreign to me but maybe because you're in Israel and they're handling it differently. In NY and Lakewood during the peak, they were not testing asymptomatic people because they were short of tests. The advice was to quarantine 2 weeks if you were exposed.

Israel is a completely different situation than the U.S. They are testing ppl individually and really tracing their contacts. israel is having a real 'flat curve' situation with Covid, where there are constantly different ppl testing positive. In NY/NJ we had it in one big fell swoop and that was it. We paid an awful price for that. Btw we're lucky we dont have to keep testing constantly like they do in israel bc chances are that most of us would test positive even though we dont have it. These tests are so notoriously inaccurate. Esp bc if you had it in march, you can still carry around dead cells for months.

ra_mom

Thu, Jul 16 2020, 7:00 pm

Why does he have to stay locked up in his room? Is there someone in your home who is medically fragile? Why not just lock the door to the house and keep everyone inside together, being careful not to share towels, utensils, tissues/coughing? In the US, if someone was infected, everyone in the family had to lock down together.

Elfrida

Thu, Jul 16 2020, 9:53 pm

ra_mom wrote:

The family need to remain in isolation fourteen days after their last contact with him. If he is locked in his room, the fourteen days start rolling from when he goes into the room. If they are all together, they can't leave the house anyway, but the fourteen days start only from when he gets his first negative test. Until then they are considered exposed.