I did my first stupid thing (about C-19, that is) yesterday–I ate out indoors. Worse, maskless. Worse, in Florida. After two years of fanatical safety.
And about 12 hours later, feeling anxious, I also started feeling sick–headachy, sore, out of sorts, and I thought “Nah, it’s too soon. Probably psychosomatic, or coincidental.”
Is it? Should I break out the C-19 testing kits? I’m thinking “Wasteful.” Is it possible that symptoms would show themselves that quickly? is there any harm to testing too soon (i.e., a false negative)?
The CDC generally recommends testing 5 days after exposure, unless you have symptoms, in which case you should test sooner. There is no harm in testing earlier, but you want to test at the 5 day mark to be sure. (Day 0 is the day of exposure when counting days).
The incubation period, ie. time between exposure and having symptoms, is between 2-14 days, not 12 hours.
From the CDC:
“People with COVID-19 have reported a wide range of issues from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. If you have fever, cough, or other symptoms, you might have COVID-19.”
The thing is that testing won’t do much good 1-3 days after symptoms, with a longer time for omicron because it kicks in faster. So I’d wait at least 2 days before you go for a PCR test and at least 3 days before trying the first at home test (and then test again at 5 days). You can also get a PCR test at 5 days if your symptoms go away.
That said, I would be very surprised if your current symptoms are from COVID-19. For one, it usually takes at least 24 hours. For another, your symptoms aren’t the usual beginning symptoms, but very much are typical symptoms of anxiety, and you do say you feel anxious.
Also the vast majority of Florida is green on the CDC map. Only Miami-Dade is yellow (none are red). For Green, the instructions are:
Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines. Get tested if you have symptoms. Wear a mask if you have symptoms, a positive test, or exposure to someone with COVID-19. Wear a mask on public transportation. You may choose to wear a mask at any time as an additional precaution to protect yourself and others.
Here’s something I was never sure about: is that any possible exposure, or only after you find out that you were actually exposed to someone positive? IOW, does the CDC recommend testing in the OP’s circumstance, where they have absolutely no idea if anyone within five miles of them had COVID, but they’re just afraid? Like, if I go to work, and they don’t have a strict “mask everywhere” policy, would I be testing every day by CDC guidelines?
ETA: I guess the basic point of my question is, what exactly is “exposure”?
Exposure is usually defined as spending 15 minutes with aperson who has COVID or develops it in the next 2-3 days. So no, there is no exposure here. I am 99% sure a pharmacy test wouldn’t be paid for. But no harm in doong home tests.
I must confess, I’ve eaten inside restaurant about a gazillion times since the start of the pandemic, and only finally succumbed when I attended a wedding, and sat next to someone for several hours who had it (they didn’t know).
Did not get. Never even tested, so it’s possible I got it but am asymptomatic, but after reading the comments in this thread, I concluded that it was high;y unlikely I got it from sitting in an enclosed space for an hour with unmasked people sitting at tables at least five feet from me.
I think that’s why I’m generally comfortable eating in restaurants. You only really interact with your table, and an occasional fleeting conversation with the waiter. I feel more nervous about gigs, pubs or sports stadiums (or weddings), where you have no choice but to be up close with a bunch of strangers.
Eh. Omicron spreads just fine in those environments. Inasmuch as six foot separateion was ever useful without masking, it’s basically not helpful at all with omicron. That’s why I didn’t want my dad going out to eat with my sister during the big wave, and we’re pretty sure that’s where she caught it.
The main reason I’m not too concerned about it isn’t the distances involved, but the fact that the spread has dropped so much. You’re much less likely to have multiple people come in with it.