Ómicron: What to do if a person you live with tests positive for COVID-19?

The probability that all people will become infected with COVID-19 at some point increases; and it is that, given the increase in cases due to omicron and other variants, it is quite difficult for someone to evade the virus.

While countries of America They are already going through their third wave, Europe It has already reached the sixth with hospitals and health systems almost collapsed. Governments continue to implement new restrictions as vaccination programs appear to be the only hope.

Given this, it is normal to wonder what to do when someone we know has contracted the virus and to know how to act when a person with whom we share a home has been infected. Here we have some answers.

What to do if I was in contact with a person who had COVID-19?

The main recommendation, as detailed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is to stay isolated alone in a room in your house and away from other people for at least 5 days after having had the last contact with a person who had COVID-19.

For 10 days after your last close contact with someone with COVID-19, you should be alert for the appearance of fever, cough, shortness of breath or other symptoms of COVID-19. If you develop symptoms, you should be tested immediately and self-isolate until you receive the test results.

If you don’t have symptoms, you should get tested at least 5 days after your last close contact with a person with COVID-19:

• If the result is negative, you can come out of your isolation, but you must continue to wear a well-fitting mask when around others at home and in public until 10 days after your last close contact with someone with COVID-19.
• If the result is positive, but you do not have symptoms, you must isolate for at least 5 days from the date of the result. If you have symptoms, you must also isolate yourself for 5 days, but you will only be able to leave the room if after the 6th you do not have a fever for 24 hours without using medication and if the other symptoms have improved.

What to do if someone you live with tests positive for COVID-19?

If the person who lives with you tested positive for COVID-19 must be immediately isolated in a room for at least 10 days. The room environment should remain ventilated most of the time and, if possible, the patient should have a bathroom for exclusive use.

If the bathroom is shared, it must be disinfected with bleach after the person carrying the virus uses it. Whenever the carrier of the virus leaves the room (they should only leave in emergency cases) they will have to wear an FFP2 (KN95) mask.

It is necessary to avoid contact with this person, so if they meet in a common room in the house, everyone should wear a mask.

“It is very difficult to assess whether compliance with isolation measures lowers the probability of infection,” assured El País Pedro Gullón, epidemiologist and professor at the University of Alcalá de Henares. “We don’t know what’s up with omicron, but when the delta variant was dominant, the infection rate was 50% among immunized people “, he pointed.

Who does not need to quarantine despite having contact with someone who tested positive?

As detailed in the CDC, if you had close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19, you do not need to quarantine as long as:

• You are vaccinated against COVID-19 with the doses recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).
• You tested positive for COVID-19 within the last 90 days of contact with another positive person. However, you must wear a well-fitting mask when around other people for 10 days from the date of your last close contact with another positive person.

Do I have to isolate myself if I am a close contact of a positive?

To answer this question, we need to understand what it means to be a close contact by COVID-19. As indicated by Medical Writing, a close contact is a person who was close to the environment with a positive for 48 hours before the symptoms began.

Another characteristic of close contacts is that they have been in the same place at a distance of less than two meters and for more than 15 continuous minutes.

That said, El País assures that, if you were in close contact with a positive with the omicron variant, but you have the complete vaccination schedule, you do not have to quarantine for 10 days of home isolation. However, the Spanish Public Health Commission indicates that you should limit your social activities, minimizing places with many people.

In addition, the epidemiologist Gullón emphasizes that close contacts should “be tested between days 3 and 5 of the contact and then between 7 and 10”.

“In family activities there should be as few people as possible, and take place in places that are as well ventilated as possible. If possible, it would be better if they were carried out outdoors”, indicates.

When does isolation end for asymptomatic people who have tested positive?

The CDC points out that you can end the quarantine after spending 5 days in isolation as long as you have not presented any symptoms. However, you should continue to wear a mask when you are around other people at home and in public, until at least day 10 (6th to 10th day).

You should avoid contact with people who are immunocompromised or at high risk for severe illness, as well as nursing homes and other high-risk settings, for at least 10 days.

Once your isolation ends, avoid traveling until 10 days have passed since you tested positive for the discard test.

You should not go to places where the use of the mask is not mandatory, such as restaurants, cinemas, gyms, etc. Avoid eating around other people at home and at work for 10 days after you tested positive.

When does the isolation of people who have tested positive and have symptoms end?

People who have tested positive for the virus can be released from isolation after a total of 5 days if they are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications and if other symptoms have improved.

If you continue to have a fever or other symptoms have not improved after 5 days of isolation, you should continue confined until you are free of discomfort without the use of medication to counteract them.

You should avoid contact with people who are immunocompromised or at high risk of severe illness and other high-risk settings for at least 10 days.

It should be noted that loss of taste and smell may persist for weeks or months after recovery.

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