# Governor of Ohio Tests Positive **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [August 6, 2020, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/governor-of-ohio-tests-positive/917430 "2020-08-06T17:31:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2020, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/governor-of-ohio-tests-positive/917430/21 "2020-08-06T20:07:12Z")
> [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](#): > > 14 days is for people who never developed any symptoms. If you develop symptoms, like Herman Cain did, it’s 10 days after symptoms resolve. Great, thank you, this makes sense to me. I never really looked that information up, because I don’t know anyone who tested positive and I never thought about it. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2020, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/governor-of-ohio-tests-positive/917430/22 "2020-08-06T20:42:15Z")
‘What more do I need to know?‘ Seriously? I should think when someone STOPS being infectious would be a ‘need to know‘ detail worth noting. Months into it, this really is a shocking display of willful ignorance. Opened my eyes for sure! America never stops being a surprising place! ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2020, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/governor-of-ohio-tests-positive/917430/23 "2020-08-06T20:43:58Z")
My assumption was that he’d quarantine for 14 days, which is when they’ll presume him to no longer be positive, but they’ll give him another test to make sure. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2020, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/governor-of-ohio-tests-positive/917430/24 "2020-08-06T20:55:58Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > Seriously? I should think when someone STOPS being infectious would be a ‘need to know‘ detail worth noting. > > Months into it, this really is a shocking display of willful ignorance. Opened my eyes for sure! This seems needlessly harsh. I don’t think I could tell you the contagious time for ANY infectious disease. I just looked up the regular flu, turns out it’s about a week after symptoms start. I’ve never had the flu, nor known anyone who has. Why would I know that information? ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2020, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/governor-of-ohio-tests-positive/917430/25 "2020-08-06T21:05:18Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > ‘What more do I need to know?‘ > > Seriously? I should think when someone STOPS being infectious would be a ‘need to know‘ detail worth noting. > > Months into it, this really is a shocking display of willful ignorance. Opened my eyes for sure! > > America never stops being a surprising place! Why would he need to know? The people who need to know are those who are infected, so they can remain in quarantine. And presumably they are told when they get their tests. I won’t usually know who was infected and when, so I won’t be able to know if they waited long enough. It seems even Dopers who followed it didn’t get it right. They heard, as I did, that it was 14 days from first symptoms. Apparently it’s 10 days. It’s just asymptomatic people who have to wait the full 14 days after a positive test now. I didn’t know how long it was for asymptomatic people. I’ve seen widely different times from different politicians. And they seem to be the main ones being tested while not having symptoms. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2020, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/governor-of-ohio-tests-positive/917430/26 "2020-08-06T23:18:22Z")
Where I am this info was endlessly pushed out, starting in March! It was in every article I read, I’m amazed anyone DOESN’T know this, I guess. Suddenly it’s easier to understand what’s happening in the US. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2020, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/governor-of-ohio-tests-positive/917430/27 "2020-08-07T00:40:42Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > Where I am this info was endlessly pushed out, starting in March! It was in every article I read, I’m amazed anyone DOESN’T know this, I guess. > > Suddenly it’s easier to understand what’s happening in the US Strange, I just did a quick news search for articles today, and not one of them mentioned that infected people were contagious for 10 days after symptoms resolve. ---
**Author:** ![Crunched\_Frog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crunched_frog/32/3491_2.png) [@Crunched\_Frog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crunched_Frog)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2020, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/governor-of-ohio-tests-positive/917430/28 "2020-08-07T01:43:37Z")
It was odd though that your initial question was whether he would “magically cured” after 14 days. Do you think you’ve been “magically cured” of every cold you ever had that eventually ended? ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2020, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/governor-of-ohio-tests-positive/917430/29 "2020-08-07T02:39:24Z")
I am equally surprised you’ve never known anyone to have the flu! ---
**Author:** ![Courk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/91b2a8/32.png) [@Courk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Courk)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2020, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/governor-of-ohio-tests-positive/917430/30 "2020-08-07T04:40:21Z")
DeWine’s first test was an antigen test, it returned positive. He went home and got a second test, a PCR test this time. They ran it twice, both of those were negative. He’ll get tested again on Saturday. > **[Ohio Gov's Second COVID Test Is Negative Hours After Planned Trump Meeting](https://www.newsweek.com/ohio-govs-second-covid-test-negative-hours-after-planned-trump-meeting-1523470)** > > Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced late Thursday that he had tested negative after taking a second coronavirus test, hours after he was forced to cancel a planned meeting with President Donald Trump over a positive test result. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2020, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/governor-of-ohio-tests-positive/917430/31 "2020-08-07T08:14:34Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > > [@elbows](#): > > > > Where I am this info was endlessly pushed out, starting in March! It was in every article I read, I’m amazed anyone DOESN’T know this, I guess. > > > > Suddenly it’s easier to understand what’s happening in the US > > Strange, I just did a quick news search for articles today, and not one of them mentioned that infected people were contagious for 10 days after symptoms resolve. It’s not. It’s 10 days after the onset of symptoms. > **[Are You Still Contagious With COVID?](https://www.health.com/condition/infectious-diseases/coronavirus/how-long-after-coronavirus-are-you-contagious)** > > You likely stop being contagious with COVID-19 after nine days. Learn about what you can do to prevent the spread of the virus while you recover. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2020, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/governor-of-ohio-tests-positive/917430/32 "2020-08-07T08:19:04Z")
> [@Courk](#): > > DeWine’s first test was an antigen test, it returned positive. He went home and got a second test, a PCR test this time. They ran it twice, both of those were negative. He’ll get tested again on Saturday. > > [Ohio Gov's Second COVID Test Is Negative Hours After Planned Trump Meeting](https://www.newsweek.com/ohio-govs-second-covid-test-negative-hours-after-planned-trump-meeting-1523470) Yeah, we need to not forget that false positives are a thing. And that the testing is multi-stage. I actually assumed from the title that he had already had all of those tests. I should be more careful. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2020, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/governor-of-ohio-tests-positive/917430/33 "2020-08-07T10:41:25Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > I am equally surprised you’ve never known anyone to have the flu! I’m slightly less surprised at that. Some people think it’s not really the flu unless you are completely bed-ridden and wishing for death. I guess that was a hypercorrection against people said they “had the flu” when it was a bad cold. But if you can have a mild case of Covid, it stands to reason you could have mild case of influenza. So the naysayers were wrong about needing to have a $100 bill sickness\* to really have the flu. \*i.e. “If a $100 bill were in the next room you wouldn’t be able to pick it up, or else you don’t actually have the flu” is a common phrase. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2020, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/governor-of-ohio-tests-positive/917430/34 "2020-08-07T12:13:52Z")
> [@Courk](#): > > DeWine’s first test was an antigen test, it returned positive. He went home and got a second test, a PCR test this time. They ran it twice, both of those were negative. He’ll get tested again on Saturday. > > [Ohio Gov's Second COVID Test Is Negative Hours After Planned Trump Meeting](https://www.newsweek.com/ohio-govs-second-covid-test-negative-hours-after-planned-trump-meeting-1523470) Thanks for this. I was wondering, because I thought the error rate of the PCR test was quite low, except for “false positives” from people who still have “viral debris” in their system. But I knew the antigen tests were less reliable. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2020, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/governor-of-ohio-tests-positive/917430/35 "2020-08-07T12:17:29Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > > [@Slash1972](#): > > > > > [@elbows](#): > > > > > > Where I am this info was endlessly pushed out, starting in March! It was in every article I read, I’m amazed anyone DOESN’T know this, I guess. > > > > > > Suddenly it’s easier to understand what’s happening in the US > > > > Strange, I just did a quick news search for articles today, and not one of them mentioned that infected people were contagious for 10 days after symptoms resolve. > > It’s not. It’s 10 days after the onset of symptoms. > > [How Long Are You Contagious With COVID?](https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.health.com/condition/infectious-diseases/coronavirus/how-long-after-coronavirus-are-you-contagious%3Famp=true) Do they know that, now? When i first started following this that was a huge (and hugely important) unknown, and the better sources would say, “the CDC recommends this, the WHO recommends that, but we don’t really know and it’s best to be tested” Anyway, when they say, “X tested positive but has no symptoms, he will self-isolate for two weeks” what they actually mean is “he will self isolate for two weeks or until he gets sick, whichever happens first.” And if he gets sick what he will do will depend on his symptoms, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2020, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/governor-of-ohio-tests-positive/917430/36 "2020-08-07T12:25:04Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > Where I am this info was endlessly pushed out, starting in March! It was in every article I read, I’m amazed anyone DOESN’T know this, I guess. > > Suddenly it’s easier to understand what’s happening in the US You do realize that this is a board where people are supposed to be able to ask a question without be belittled for asking a question, do you? I agree with **manson1972** , your responses have been needlessly harse. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2020, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/governor-of-ohio-tests-positive/917430/37 "2020-08-07T13:08:51Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > I’m pretty bummed, as he’s been great during this whole time, very pro-science, pro-medicine, pro-precautions, pro-mask. Pro-precautions, certainly. But pro-science would mean following the CDC’s recommendations, not just taking every precaution he could think of because he was afraid of the political risk of being accused of not doing enough. Not all precautions were a good idea. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2020, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/governor-of-ohio-tests-positive/917430/38 "2020-08-07T13:56:12Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > > [@cochrane](#): > > > > > [@Slash1972](#): > > > > > > Strange, I just did a quick news search for articles today, and not one of them mentioned that infected people were contagious for 10 days after symptoms resolve. > > > > It’s not. It’s 10 days after the onset of symptoms. > > > > [How Long Are You Contagious With COVID?](https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.health.com/condition/infectious-diseases/coronavirus/how-long-after-coronavirus-are-you-contagious%3Famp=true) > > Do they know that, now? When i first started following this that was a huge (and hugely important) unknown, and the better sources would say, “the CDC recommends this, the WHO recommends that, but we don’t really know and it’s best to be tested” Read the article in my link. > [@](#): > > This is in line with the CDC‘s recommendation that a person diagnosed with COVID-19 can be released from isolation after 10 days from symptom onset and at least three days from fever resolution and improvement in respiratory symptoms. This is supported by the WHO (World Health Organization), and I should add that no secondary spread or transmission has been seen after following this guideline,” epidemiologist Supriya Narasimhan, MD, division chief of infectious diseases and medical director of infection prevention at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, in California, tells Health. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2020, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/governor-of-ohio-tests-positive/917430/39 "2020-08-07T14:07:37Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Not all precautions were a good idea. I know that he has been catching a lot of heat in rural Ohio for not allowing county fairs and festivals to take place while allowing Kings Island and Cedar Point to remain open. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2020, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/governor-of-ohio-tests-positive/917430/40 "2020-08-07T14:16:18Z")
Thank you, that article has a lot of good information, although the site is annoying, with stuff popping up all over the text. ☹ From that, the answer is “it’s more complicated than just n days”. The basic advice from that article seems to be “wait at least 10 days after onset of symptoms AND 3 days after fever and respiratory symptoms have abated” which is very different from “you aren’t contagious after 10 days”, since the disease often takes weeks to resolve. Also > However, like so many aspects of this virus, scientists are discovering new information all the time, and that can change official advice. For example, Dr. Narasimhan mentions a paper from China that suggests sicker patients may be contagious for up to 21 days—although it should be noted that details of this study aren’t yet fully available. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/governor-of-ohio-tests-positive/917430.md?page=1)