3 ms·

Meanwhile, its impossible to find good information on how long can children be infectious. My daughter is 3 weeks after first symptoms and we'd like to get her

by raducu 6y ago

Meanwhile, its impossible to find good information on how long can children be infectious. My daughter is 3 weeks after first symptoms and we'd like to get her back in kindergarden after 4 weeks. The same for RT-PCR -- I tested positive one month after first symptoms, but I also have good igg antibodies. Didn't people do this RT-PCR testing for influenza before? Are RT-PCR tests for influenza still positive one month after first flu symptoms? I mean, the quality of information you can google up as a COVID-19 patient is absolute shit, most of what google shows is sensationalized news articles directed at the non-positive, scared general public.

lbeltrame 6y ago
> My daughter is 3 weeks after first symptoms She should be fine, unless immunocompromised. RT-PCR tests do not tell, in absence of symptoms, if you are infectious. If you have symptoms, the presence of a positive test correlates with actual, infectious virus in your throat until 7 days with milder symptoms and 15 days with more severe symptoms. See https://www.cebm.net/covid-19/infectious-positive-pcr-test-result-covid-19/ https://www.cebm.net/covid-19/infectious-positive-pcr-test-r... Also bear in mind, in particular for your daughter, that viral RNA takes a lot to clear, even when her immune system has already defeated the virus (IOW: you're seeing the "debris after the battle" and not the virus): the milder the symptoms, the longer it takes to clear. tl;dr: Your daughter should be fine at this point, in general terms. Of course, as an obligatory disclaimer, IAAS (I am a scientist), IANAMD, this is not medical advice, etc etc.
nradov 6y ago
There are no reliable reports of transmission past 11 days from infection. Symptoms can continue much longer due to lingering damage even when the patient is no longer infectious. Likewise PCR tests can continue to come up positive for weeks due to leftover genetic material from dead viruses.

by raducu 6y ago

lbeltrame 6y ago

> My daughter is 3 weeks after first symptoms She should be fine, unless immunocompromised. RT-PCR tests do not tell, in absence of symptoms, if you are infectious. If you have symptoms, the presence of a positive test correlates with actual, infectious virus in your throat until 7 days with milder symptoms and 15 days with more severe symptoms. See https://www.cebm.net/covid-19/infectious-positive-pcr-test-result-covid-19/ https://www.cebm.net/covid-19/infectious-positive-pcr-test-r... Also bear in mind, in particular for your daughter, that viral RNA takes a lot to clear, even when her immune system has already defeated the virus (IOW: you're seeing the "debris after the battle" and not the virus): the milder the symptoms, the longer it takes to clear. tl;dr: Your daughter should be fine at this point, in general terms. Of course, as an obligatory disclaimer, IAAS (I am a scientist), IANAMD, this is not medical advice, etc etc.

nradov 6y ago

There are no reliable reports of transmission past 11 days from infection. Symptoms can continue much longer due to lingering damage even when the patient is no longer infectious. Likewise PCR tests can continue to come up positive for weeks due to leftover genetic material from dead viruses.