Exposure to Covid and other Christmas miracles
December 23, 2020 2:31 AM Subscribe
I recently came home from a vegas forray and my bf had cold symptoms. After getting tested it turns out to be Covid. I dont have any symptoms although his exposure could have been through any number of sources (cont'd).
Now that our holiday is ruined I wonder thusly:
Are we stuck with the presents that we wrapped for our loved ones?
Am I destined for Covid being that we sleep in the same bed?
If I am tested and dont have it am I still a carrier?
He has Chrohns disease but it is in remission, he is normal weight bordering on underweight and works as an essential worker in building material retail. I am on standby waiting to pick up equipment to be an at home employee and we are both in quarantine for the next two weeks.
Now that our holiday is ruined I wonder thusly:
Are we stuck with the presents that we wrapped for our loved ones?
Am I destined for Covid being that we sleep in the same bed?
If I am tested and dont have it am I still a carrier?
He has Chrohns disease but it is in remission, he is normal weight bordering on underweight and works as an essential worker in building material retail. I am on standby waiting to pick up equipment to be an at home employee and we are both in quarantine for the next two weeks.
- Keep hold of the presents for now and send them off in a few weeks.
- Sleep on the sofa if you can. You want to minimise exposure to him, so you're minimising the viral load and basically reducing the size of the army your immune system is having to defend against. You don't want to be spending hours each night breathing it in while he's still infectious.
- Do not place total faith in the testing. It's still hit and miss as to whether it is accurate. You absolutely could still be infected and infectious with a negative result.
- You shouldn't be leaving the house to collect equipment in a period of isolation.
Please assume you are infectious and behave accordingly. Take care of yourselves in the meantime.
posted by FifteenShocks at 2:51 AM on December 23, 2020 [28 favorites]
- Sleep on the sofa if you can. You want to minimise exposure to him, so you're minimising the viral load and basically reducing the size of the army your immune system is having to defend against. You don't want to be spending hours each night breathing it in while he's still infectious.
- Do not place total faith in the testing. It's still hit and miss as to whether it is accurate. You absolutely could still be infected and infectious with a negative result.
- You shouldn't be leaving the house to collect equipment in a period of isolation.
Please assume you are infectious and behave accordingly. Take care of yourselves in the meantime.
posted by FifteenShocks at 2:51 AM on December 23, 2020 [28 favorites]
Another reason to minimise your exposure is you want to offset you getting sick as much as possible. Better that you are both ill separately with the other one to help care for you, than your illnesses overlap with a period where you're both ill.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 2:55 AM on December 23, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by EndsOfInvention at 2:55 AM on December 23, 2020 [3 favorites]
Living with someone with Covid-19 is a really easy way to catch it yourself, but I've seen suggestions that it's about a 50:50 chance. So I think it's definitely worth making the effort to separate from each other, and minimise exposure as much as possible.
You're stuck with the presents you've wrapped for now. You'll be able to gift them once you're out of quarantine - so those people will get a nice post-Christmas treat.
Read and follow the quarantine rules and expectations for your location. Where I am, you must not leave your home for any reason - not for work, not for exercise, not to pick up food or medicines or anything else. But you can get people to deliver things to you, or pick them up and bring them to you. Call upon whatever network you have locally to help you.
And make sure you know in advance what changes in symptoms mean that you need further medical advice and how you will access it.
posted by plonkee at 3:44 AM on December 23, 2020 [7 favorites]
You're stuck with the presents you've wrapped for now. You'll be able to gift them once you're out of quarantine - so those people will get a nice post-Christmas treat.
Read and follow the quarantine rules and expectations for your location. Where I am, you must not leave your home for any reason - not for work, not for exercise, not to pick up food or medicines or anything else. But you can get people to deliver things to you, or pick them up and bring them to you. Call upon whatever network you have locally to help you.
And make sure you know in advance what changes in symptoms mean that you need further medical advice and how you will access it.
posted by plonkee at 3:44 AM on December 23, 2020 [7 favorites]
I don’t know where you are, but if you’re following CDC guidance the timeline will actually be as follows
Boyfriend is stuck at home for 10 days from symptom onset (or positive test date if symptoms are very mild). Say his last day is December 23. Then December 24 will be day one of your two week quarantine since you keep being exposed to him in the household since he can’t isolate in another room/bathroom. December 24- January 6 would be your quarantine.
Some jurisdictions allow for an early end to quarantine or what I call moving into a quarantine “lite.” If you meet these requirements then you’ll be able to do things like go into grocery store wearing a face mask or go on a hike. You would not be able to ride a bus, or go anywhere (including work) where you can’t maintain social distancing. Using the dates above as example you’d want to get tested on day 5 of exposure or later (Dec 28 or later). If you get back a negative test and have no symptoms you could go into the “quarantine lite.” You could also wait until Jan 2nd (your day 10) and as long as you don’t have any symptoms that would also qualify you for “quarantine lite.”
I share this information because too many people prepare for 14 days when in fact it can be much longer as it spreads through the household.
Source- I am a contact tracer in NC with an MPH
posted by raccoon409 at 4:48 AM on December 23, 2020 [37 favorites]
Boyfriend is stuck at home for 10 days from symptom onset (or positive test date if symptoms are very mild). Say his last day is December 23. Then December 24 will be day one of your two week quarantine since you keep being exposed to him in the household since he can’t isolate in another room/bathroom. December 24- January 6 would be your quarantine.
Some jurisdictions allow for an early end to quarantine or what I call moving into a quarantine “lite.” If you meet these requirements then you’ll be able to do things like go into grocery store wearing a face mask or go on a hike. You would not be able to ride a bus, or go anywhere (including work) where you can’t maintain social distancing. Using the dates above as example you’d want to get tested on day 5 of exposure or later (Dec 28 or later). If you get back a negative test and have no symptoms you could go into the “quarantine lite.” You could also wait until Jan 2nd (your day 10) and as long as you don’t have any symptoms that would also qualify you for “quarantine lite.”
I share this information because too many people prepare for 14 days when in fact it can be much longer as it spreads through the household.
Source- I am a contact tracer in NC with an MPH
posted by raccoon409 at 4:48 AM on December 23, 2020 [37 favorites]
Regarding the Christmas presents - I'm not sure I understand what you're asking - but negative or positive, even if your boyfriend did not have COVID, you cannot safely gather with family for Christmas. Sorry but that's just the factual truth. Family gatherings are a primary driver of infection. Do not gather period.
posted by latkes at 8:36 AM on December 23, 2020 [27 favorites]
posted by latkes at 8:36 AM on December 23, 2020 [27 favorites]
even if your boyfriend did not have COVID, you cannot safely gather with family for Christmas
Especially if you just got back from traveling! But also in any case.
Re avoiding getting sick, I would use an air purifier and/or open windows as much as you can.
posted by pinochiette at 9:01 AM on December 23, 2020 [3 favorites]
Especially if you just got back from traveling! But also in any case.
Re avoiding getting sick, I would use an air purifier and/or open windows as much as you can.
posted by pinochiette at 9:01 AM on December 23, 2020 [3 favorites]
Oh, and with regards to testing: interpretation of rapid tests depends on a lot of local factors in interpreting the results and how accurate they would be.
I would get a PCR test (if you haven’t gotten one before, administered by someone else so you go high enough into the nasal cavity is preferred if you don’t think you’ll do it properly yourself) on day 5 after the end of his 10 day quarantine (those who test positive or have symptoms indicating COVID have a 10 day isolation, contacts have 14 day quarantine). I’ve had a lot of success with CVS and drive through testing and getting results back fairly quickly though there are lots of places to get tested.
I’ve seen a lot of households stop the spread of COVID but you’ll definitely need to take more precautions such as
- clean bathroom after every use, flush with the toilet seat down or use different bathrooms
- sleep in different areas (is there a couch you could sleep on instead?)
- open windows as much as possible to increase air circulation
- both of you wear masks in the home when you’re in the same room.
You would only really need to take these precautions during his 10 days, not your following 14 days
Here’s an article from the CDC about living in close quarters:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/living-in-close-quarters.html
- With regards to your Christmas presents you would need someone else to pick them up/drop them off since you can’t leave your home at this time (except to seek medical care). I can’t imagine anyone you know being upset that some presents arrived late because you were dealing with COVID.
posted by raccoon409 at 9:02 AM on December 23, 2020 [5 favorites]
I would get a PCR test (if you haven’t gotten one before, administered by someone else so you go high enough into the nasal cavity is preferred if you don’t think you’ll do it properly yourself) on day 5 after the end of his 10 day quarantine (those who test positive or have symptoms indicating COVID have a 10 day isolation, contacts have 14 day quarantine). I’ve had a lot of success with CVS and drive through testing and getting results back fairly quickly though there are lots of places to get tested.
I’ve seen a lot of households stop the spread of COVID but you’ll definitely need to take more precautions such as
- clean bathroom after every use, flush with the toilet seat down or use different bathrooms
- sleep in different areas (is there a couch you could sleep on instead?)
- open windows as much as possible to increase air circulation
- both of you wear masks in the home when you’re in the same room.
You would only really need to take these precautions during his 10 days, not your following 14 days
Here’s an article from the CDC about living in close quarters:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/living-in-close-quarters.html
- With regards to your Christmas presents you would need someone else to pick them up/drop them off since you can’t leave your home at this time (except to seek medical care). I can’t imagine anyone you know being upset that some presents arrived late because you were dealing with COVID.
posted by raccoon409 at 9:02 AM on December 23, 2020 [5 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
When my husband got covid, my doctor said it's best for me to still attempt to stay as seperated from him as possible, to limit the viral load I was exposed to. It's not inevitable, that you will get it, and limiting exposure might also mean you don't get it as bad, if you do get it.
posted by Zumbador at 2:43 AM on December 23, 2020 [17 favorites]