“Covid question?”
I am supposed to be visiting my parents for Christmas with my husband and two young kids. My husband and I are vaccinated for Covid but my kids are not. My sister and her husband are also supposed to come but they are just recovering from Covid. Her husband will be three weeks out but still has a bad cough. She will only be ten days out since her first symptom on the day she gets there but is no longer symptomatic. She just tested positive on the 17th. This feels too close and risky to me since we would be eating together and sharing a restroom but my parents think I am being too cautious. Am I? Could they still be contagious? What if they get another test before they come? Does a negative test at the end of Covid mean you are no longer contagious?
Female | 40 years old
2 Answers
InfectiousDiseaseSpecialistInfectiousDiseaseSpecialist
This is probably too late, but this is a scenario where I do think it is likely safe to see the recently positive family for the holidays. If someone is 10 days out from symptoms and is recovered already, they are very unlikely to be still infectious. The husband with a cough 3 weeks out is also very likely free from the ability to infect others. The only exception to this is if he was hospitalized with a critical illness or he takes medicines that suppress his immune system. I would not recommend retesting as it will complicate the picture rather than provide clarity. The tests for covid stay positive long after an individual can spread the infection.
Andrew Jameson, MD, FACP, FIDSA, AAHIVS
Andrew Jameson, MD, FACP, FIDSA, AAHIVS
I think the accumulated information about transmission is solid. The time of contagion is for a day or so before symptoms and within the first week. Your family members should now be safe. The testing doesn’t seem to help.
G. Dickinson
G. Dickinson
