Contents
According to the regulation, people staying in the household with a patient with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infection should remain in quarantine for an additional seven days from the end of isolation of the infected person. Research shows that shorter quarantine times may contribute to the further spread of SARS-CoV-2. Why?
- In Poland, the length of quarantine after contact with an infected person depends on several factors. Usually it is 10 days, but can be extended to 17 days and more
- Scientists are investigating whether a quarantine of 14 days is justified. It turns out that some people living with infected people, despite the initial negative test, may become infected even on the 10th day of quarantine
- You can find more up-to-date information on the TvoiLokony home page
A shorter quarantine is easier to comply with, but poses a risk
As we read on the website of the Ministry of Health, quarantine is the isolation of a healthy person due to exposure to infection, e.g. after contact with a person suffering from coronavirus. In Poland, the length of the quarantine depends on several factors. Usually it takes 10 days from the moment of contact. If a person lives with someone infected with SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, solitary confinement continues for an additional seven days after the household member is released from isolation.
Quarantine is also automatically imposed on the person who receives a referral for a COVID-19 test. After receiving a negative result, quarantine is interrupted, after receiving a positive result – isolation is applied. In practice, this means that the quarantine may last 17 or more days.
Staying in quarantine, especially if there are no symptoms of infection, is often associated with stress and deterioration of mental health, so scientists check whether and in which cases the quarantine can be shortened. Unfortunately, their conclusions are rather pessimistic.
“ Shorter quarantine after contact with someone with COVID-19 may be easier to comply with, but poses some risks, ” explains experts from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. What risk are we talking about?
Positive result seven to ten days after contact
Dr. Melissa A. Rolfes from the CDC’s COVID-19 Response Team analyzed with colleagues interim data from an ongoing study on the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 2 in a household. The idea was to investigate the percentage of home contacts between people who were detected with the virus during the quarantine period.
Scientists have observed that 59 percent. out of 185 households were infected with the coronavirus during the 14-day quarantine. 76 percent of them tested positive on the seventh day of the retreat, and 86% in 10 from the moment of contact with an infected person.
See: Where do we get infected most often? According to scientists, our homes are the fires
Research has shown that as much as 19 percent. People at risk of coronavirus infection due to living with a test-positive person who were asymptomatic and tested negative during the first week of quarantine tested positive between day 7 and day 14 of contact.
This means that shortening the quarantine may be associated with the risk of further transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. Other studies show that we infect most effectively just before the first symptoms appear and for the first five days after they appear.
See: When do people with COVID-19 become the most contagious? “Peak infectivity” established
What advice do the CDC experts have? They recommend testing with very sensitive tests people who would like to shorten the quarantine period. However, it must be remembered that even an initially negative COVID-19 test result and no symptoms within the first ten days of contact do not give us XNUMX% certainty that we are not infected.
The editorial board recommends:
- Five ways to avoid coronavirus infection in a closed room
- Coronavirus in the US. Building natural herd immunity. Experts: Disastrous Plan
- How long does resistance to COVID-19 last? Scientists dispel doubts
The content of the medTvoiLokony website is intended to improve, not replace, the contact between the Website User and their doctor. The website is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Before following the specialist knowledge, in particular medical advice, contained on our Website, you must consult a doctor. The Administrator does not bear any consequences resulting from the use of information contained on the Website. Do you need a medical consultation or an e-prescription? Go to halodoctor.pl, where you will get online help – quickly, safely and without leaving your home.Now you can use e-consultation also free of charge under the National Health Fund.