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COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are rising again in the US as the country records 1 million deaths – a once unimaginable number of lives lost to the virus. Newer versions of Omicron, including BA.2 and BA.2.12.1, have become more contagious and are dragging on a global pandemic.
In this phase of the pandemic, more people are getting tested for COVID-19 at home, due to the widespread availability of rapid at-home COVID-19 tests. And many people are experiencing even milder symptoms, thanks to COVID-19 vaccines and booster doses, which substantially reduce the risk of serious COVID-19 illness and the need for hospital care.
As more people test at home, however, an increasing number of COVID-19 cases are not being reported. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention itself states that there is “currently limited use for collecting self-test result data to inform public health surveillance,” although the agency does not “situational awareness” without receipt of self-test results. I remain confident.
Asymptomatic COVID-19 cases and home test results are some of the reasons why experts feel that the current number of cases may be underestimated. This year, the CDC changed the way we monitor COVID-19 risk in the US to include measures such as hospitalization numbers, health care capacity, and virus levels in our wastewater. But knowing the case count in your community can still be an important tool when deciding whether it’s safe to go to a movie theater or eat indoors.
“As a result of these rapid at-home tests, we underestimate the number of people who actually have COVID,” said Kerry Althoff, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “And therefore underestimate the number of what we know as our COVID transmission rate per 100,000 population.”
Even though it is not included in the US COVID-19 case count, the CDC encourages everyone who tests positive to report it to their health care provider (or the Department of Public Health if you do not have a primary care physician). .
Here’s what to do if you test positive for COVID-19 at home, and brush-up on isolation and quarantine guidance.
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2 things to do to test positive for COVID-19 at home
If you take a rapid test at home and it comes back positive, assume you have COVID-19. While it’s true that at-home rapid tests are less sensitive than the “gold standard” PCR tests (about 10% to 20% less sensitive, according to Hackensack Meridian Health), and more likely to give you a false negative result, a positive. The results are self-testing “highly reliable” according to the CDC.
The CDC says, “If you test negative on an at-home test, but you think you have COVID-19 because you have symptoms or have been exposed, test again 24 to 48 hours later.” Consider doing it.” Then, after a few different negative tests, you will be able to feel more confident that your negative result is actually negative.
There are two important steps to be taken after a positive home test result.
Follow CDC Guidance on Isolation
Once you test positive, begin following the CDC’s guidance (stay away from others if you are sick or test positive for COVID-19).
Regardless of your vaccination status, the CDC recommends staying home for at least five days, with Day 0 being the day you tested positive. You should also stay away from people in your household, or wear a well-fitting mask if you can’t avoid others. You can end your isolation after five days, as long as your symptoms go away or improve and you have been fever-free for at least 24 hours. However, you should still wear a mask and avoid traveling for at least 10 days.
Report to your doctor or health department
If you test positive with an at-home COVID-19 test, call your primary care doctor, Althoff said. If you’re at high risk for severe COVID-19, not only will your doctor be able to direct you to treatments like Paxlovid, but in some cases, your doctor will have a system at their disposal that allows them to do a self-report. allows. Official COVID-19 Counts Exam Result.
But it’s far less likely that your COVID-19 result will end up in your state’s official count if you test positive a second time in a doctor’s office, or at a mass testing site or clinic, according to Althoff.
“Calling your doctor and letting them know is important to your personal health, but we shouldn’t misunderstand that this information is now going into our surveillance system,” she said.
Many states have mandated reporting of COVID-19 test results, Althoff said, but those tests are usually done in clinical settings. For example, information that comes from a laboratory that processes a PCR test, then goes directly to the health department; These are “established systems,” she says. Even if you report a test to your health department from home, it often lacks the necessary data needed for an official report, according to the CDC. “The data elements themselves and the data structure are separate,” Althoff said.
Still, you should call your health department or doctor to report a positive test result at home. (Here’s a list of health departments in the U.S.) You can also check directly with your county or city to see if they have a more direct way of reporting test results. Some areas, such as Washington state, have a direct home hotline for reporting COVID-19 positives.
If you call or email, you may also be asked to provide additional information, such as your age and vaccination status, to the Department of Health.
The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended to be health or medical advice. Always consult with a physician or other qualified health provider with respect to any questions you may have about a medical condition or health purposes.
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