Covid update
April 2022
As best I understand it
It appears that recently the CDC, followed up by many towns that had mask mandates, has said we no longer need to wear masks in public buildings. Or, at least, that’s what we think they said.
Sigh. Ignore that advice – unless, of course, you want to catch Covid.
The new variant – Omicron B2, I believe it’s called – is here. It’s even more contagious than the last very contagious variant. You can catch it even if you’re fully vaccinated and boostered. You can catch it even if you’ve already had Covid.
So why did the CDC suggest we don’t need to wear masks in public? Partly because they have no idea how many people out here are catching Covid. They only know how many get sick enough to land in the hospital; and of those, how many are on respirators; and of those two categories, how many die. Because most people are now using the rapid antigen tests at home to determine whether they have Covid, the CDC hasn’t a clue.
For that matter, a number of people walking around with mild or asymptomatic cases of Covid don’t know they have it, either. Sometimes because they don’t test, and just assume the sniffles and sneezes and sore throat is just a cold, or seasonal allergies, or whatever; or they’ve taken the test incorrectly and gotten a false negative; or, if they’re asymptomatic but have been exposed, either don’t know they’ve been exposed or assume they don’t have it because they don’t develop symptoms. And there are still people out there who falsely believe that because they’ve already had Covid, they can’t get it again. You can get it again: how long your acquired immunity lasts depends on your general health and the vigor of your immune system. You might get 2 weeks’ worth of acquired immunity, you might get up to 3 months’ worth of acquired immunity. Rule of thumb: the younger you are and the healthier you are, the longer the acquired immunity MIGHT last.
I went into a local store the other day that, until a week ago, was stringently insisting on mask wearing. Now they’re not. And while I was there – a very rapid 15-minute run-through – I counted at least 10 unmasked people, and heard coughs, hacks, sneezes, and more coughs. I got out fast.
So, once more, what I understand about the various tests:
PCR tests are the ones someone else does to you by swabbing one nostril deeply; the sample goes to a lab and in most cases it takes 24 hours or so to get results. This test is the most accurate for people who have no symptoms, because it tests for a protein that’s associated with the Covid virus. If the virus is there, the protein is there; and yes, there can be errors, if the swabbing wasn’t done well or the packaging was messed up or some other human error. Also, this test may give a positive result for some time in someone who has recently had Covid but has recovered from the active part of the infection; and often in people with long-term Covid, it can produce a positive result for many months.
Rapid antigen tests are the ones we’re using at home, and give results in 15 minutes. If used properly, they’re very accurate. However, many people don’t use them properly. So here’s a few things to be aware of:
They have expiration dates. The tests the Federal gov’t sent out have an early expiration date, Aug ‘22 on the ones I’ve seen; the ones the state of NH sent out don’t expire ‘til Nov ’23 – they are two different brands – and I’ve heard of people who’ve bought rapid tests that had already expired. The expiration date can be tricky to find, but make sure you have a good one.
These tests check for antigens, which are produced when your immune system begins to fight the Covid virus. It takes some time to produce enough antigens to be detectable. So:
-If you don’t have symptoms, you’re likely to get a false negative. Symptoms are the sign your immune system is fighting the virus. People who are asymptomatic, or who test prior to developing symptoms, are most likely to get false negative results. You can’t use these tests to accurately determine whether you have Covid unless you do it at the proper time and in the proper way. Taking one this morning so you can go see Grandma without a mask on this afternoon doesn’t tell you anything except that there aren’t enough antigens in your snot to be detectable by the test. You could still infect Grandma.
-Wait for about 24 hours after you start showing symptoms to take the test. If you get a positive result, you have Covid.
-If you know or suspect you’ve been infected but don’t yet have symptoms, protect the people around you by careful mask wearing and hygiene for 2-3 days; if you still have no symptoms and get a negative test, you might not have Covid, but to be certain, continue mask wearing and hygiene for another 2-3 days, then re-test. If you still get a negative test, you probably don’t have Covid. Probably don’t, not definitely don’t.
-If you’re living with someone who has symptomatic Covid but you test negative, protect everyone you come into contact with anyway: use good masks and hygiene. Asymptomatic people can infect other people with Covid, it’s just harder to do it. It’s a respiratory disease, so coughing, shouting, kissing, talking too close to other, unmasked people, sneezing, etc can contaminate someone else.
-When you’re doing the rapid tests, you need to think and act like a scientist. Clean your hands first. Put a clean paper towel down to protect against contamination from the surface you’re working on. DON’T put the clean swab on your work surface; leave it in the package until you use it. Be careful not to contaminate the solution. Swab slowly and deeply and long enough – it’s not comfortable, but don’t speed it up or go easy on yourself. Once you’ve swabbed, immediately put it into the solution – don’t set it down first or wave it around; and when you’re doing the solution thing, be sure to do it thoroughly and squeeze the swab out well into the solution. DON’T put the used swab down anywhere but in the trash,that would just be gross. Don’t leave the solution with its test strip for either too little time or too long a time or your result will be incorrect.
If you have Covid: it’s still true that you’re potentially contagious for up to 3 days prior to developing symptoms, and you’re contagious for 3 days after your symptoms are gone. For most people with mildish cases of Covid, the symptoms last for around 5-6 days. The CDC has said that people who tested positive should isolate for 5 days, then can go back to work after 5 days BUT for the following 5 days must wear a good mask in public (good = KN95 with no gaps, or preferably N95 that’s fitted) AND must also mask around the people you live with,. THAT’S BECAUSE YOU’RE STILL CONTAGIOUS!
There has been a shortage of essential workers because of Covid – by essential, what’s meant is health-care workers, people in the food industries, other businesses that are truly essential to us all living and not starving, etc. In order to help close that gap, the CDC changed the isolation rule of thumb to the 5 days plus the well-masked 5 days. However, if you aren’t an essential worker – most of whom who, when at work, will wear full personal protective gear to keep from passing on their still-contagious virus – don’t stop your isolation after 5 days. If you’re still having to wear well-fitting masks for the next 5 days even around your family or other household members – why wouldn’t you continue to isolate? It’s easier on you and safer for everyone else.
If you sally out into the world without a mask, you’re taking a pretty big risk. Cases are on the rise again; the “hidden” cases are in the dozens. And into your risk calculations, don’t forget that in the US, we are still far from a safe percentage of vaxed and boostered population – we aren’t even at 75%. And the numbers of sick enough to be hospitalized, on respirators, or dying are still way too big. Protect yourself; and others.
