When you have been diagnosed with with COVID 19, it is crucial to restrict yourself to isolation to prevent the infection’s spread.
When you have been diagnosed with or suspected of having been diagnosed with COVID 19, it is crucial to restrict yourself to isolation to prevent the infection’s spread. To date, it cannot be positively determined whether or not a person who had been infected with COVID 19 can see a relapse of the infection. However, research suggests that once infected with the virus, a person will witness the virus’s remnants for up to 3 months after the infection. This would entail that the person’s COVID tests will still come out positive even though they may be asymptomatic and incapable of spreading it.
Research is underway to determine whether an infected person will get infected again within three months. Thus, if a person previously infected with COVID 19 notices a relapse in the symptoms, they need to undergo a repeated evaluation to determine or rule out reinfection. Thus, healthcare agencies suggest both symptomatic and asymptomatic patients to quarantine/isolate themselves whatever is applicable and take great precautionary measures to avoid transmitting the infection further.
While your healthcare provider is the best source to determine when you can start mingling with others after having tested positive with the virus, you may also determine it through the following conditions:
- When ten days have passed since the symptoms had first appeared
- When a minimum of 24 hours have passed without any fever without taking any medications
- Other symptoms of COVID 19 have disappeared or are improving.
However, one needs to keep in mind that the sense of tastelessness on the tongue and loss in the sense of smell may persist for weeks altogether, even after getting rid of it. This does not mean that you cannot leave isolation until these senses improve. In most cases, the person will not require testing to determine whether they can start being around people. However, if your doctor recommends testing, you need to get it done. Also, the timelines may vary with people who had been severely ill or those suffering from any other chronic illness.
However, one needs to keep in mind that the recovery period may vary from person to person. It all depends on how healthy a person’s immune system is, whether they were symptomatic or asymptomatic and whether they suffer from any significant health problems or chronic illnesses. Also, even after the person has recovered from the infection, they must wear masks and observe other precautionary protocols when stepping out in public.
Special Thanks to Dr Jayashree Sridhar (MS(Obsgync), DNBE (Obsgync) ) for the expert advice.
