January 21st Updates

There has been so much emphasis on COVID testing that unfortunately some are requiring a negative COVID test in order to allow a person with COVID back to work.

A recent article (2022) by Dr. Wen, ER physician reminds us of the difference between "infected" with the virus and "infectious" which means "you are shedding enough of the virus to possibly transmit the infection to someone else." According to research by Mina et. al. (2021), these researchers suggest that a more relevant question if one has had a follow-up test is: "Is the positive sample from your nose from an earlier infection and are you infectious today?" The most infectious period of COVID is 2 days prior to symptom onset and up to 5 days after symptom onset. (If one is asymptomatic, the infectious period is more difficult to accurately determine).

It has been established that COVID PCR tests are highly sensitive to even tiny fragments of the virus and PCR tests can show a positive result even weeks after one has recovered and past the infectious stage. Friendly reminder folks - if you are sick, please stay home. Don't base your decision strictly on a COVID test. You might have the flu or strep or any number of illnesses. Rest, hydrate, take fever reducing medications if needed and seek medical care as needed.