# Protocols for Coliving House (7 Roommates!) **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [November 20, 2020, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protocols-for-coliving-house-7-roommates/926063 "2020-11-20T18:41:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Cleophus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e57/32.png) [@Cleophus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cleophus)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2020, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protocols-for-coliving-house-7-roommates/926063/21 "2020-12-06T15:34:34Z")
Unless you’re a trained clinician I wouldn’t attempt to create your own screening methods and stick to those recommended by public health authorities. With regard to trying to interpret pulse-ox values, they can vary from person to person and the actual procedure behind the linked article is based on monitoring individual patient’s oxygen saturation trends. It doesn’t define a specific screening value, and the 95% figure given in the article is for context, not a diagnostic figure. It’s also just an individual study report at this point, not a widely approved technique. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2020, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protocols-for-coliving-house-7-roommates/926063/22 "2020-12-06T16:25:26Z")
> [@FigNorton](#): > > I would disagree that temperature checks are theatre at least for short visits. It shows whether they are truly asymptomatic at the moment. No, it doesn’t. If they’re truly asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic they’re also not running a fever. A fever is a symptom. ---
**Author:** ![FigNorton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fignorton/32/5619_2.png) [@FigNorton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FigNorton)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2020, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protocols-for-coliving-house-7-roommates/926063/23 "2020-12-06T16:35:53Z")
That’s what I meant. Some people might think they have no symptoms but they actually do have a fever. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2020, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protocols-for-coliving-house-7-roommates/926063/25 "2020-12-06T16:40:00Z")
> [@FigNorton](#): > > That’s what I meant. Some people might think they have no symptoms but they actually do have a fever. Which is true; but some people don’t have a fever but are infected and infectious. So relying on a thermometer test is a really bad idea. ---
**Author:** ![FigNorton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fignorton/32/5619_2.png) [@FigNorton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FigNorton)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2020, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protocols-for-coliving-house-7-roommates/926063/26 "2020-12-06T16:46:37Z")
You can’t rely on anything other than a 14 day quarantine with a couple negative tests. But asymptomatic people do seem less contagious so it is a simple procedure that is a solid risk reducer. At my work, everyone is masked but a fever upon entry sends them home. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2020, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protocols-for-coliving-house-7-roommates/926063/27 "2020-12-06T17:00:50Z")
> [@FigNorton](#): > > asymptomatic people do seem less contagious Are you sure? This may be one of the things they’re still trying to sort out (it’s not always easy to tell how people got it), but at least some don’t agree with you: > [asymptomatic infections could be as infectious as serious cases of disease](https://www.healthline.com/health-news/20-percent-of-people-with-covid-19-are-asymptomatic-but-can-spread-the-disease). > > “The reason being is that the concentration of virus in oral nasal secretions peaks early in the infection process and can reach as many as a billion virus particles per milliliter,” he said. > > Counterintuitively, the longer people are seriously ill, the concentration of virus drops by “many orders of magnitude.” In fact, oftentimes infectious viruses aren’t detectable. > > “Therefore, asymptomatic people or people in early stages of disease that may be unaware that they are infected are the most contagious,” Haseltine explained. ---
**Author:** ![FigNorton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fignorton/32/5619_2.png) [@FigNorton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FigNorton)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2020, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protocols-for-coliving-house-7-roommates/926063/28 "2020-12-06T17:43:20Z")
Guess I’m not totally sure atm. That was my impression but I’d have to get into the weeds to see how much of my impression is based on old news. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2020, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protocols-for-coliving-house-7-roommates/926063/29 "2020-12-06T19:51:50Z")
The article I linked above is from late September. I don’t know whether there’s anything more recent out there. ---
**Author:** ![FigNorton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fignorton/32/5619_2.png) [@FigNorton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FigNorton)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2020, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protocols-for-coliving-house-7-roommates/926063/30 "2020-12-06T20:00:10Z")
Well, your quote isn’t about a recent finding. It’s a doctor reasoning why they _could_ be more contagious. Similar reasoning was used to explain why children _could_ be more contagious than adults despite what contact tracing had shown. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2020, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protocols-for-coliving-house-7-roommates/926063/31 "2020-12-06T20:18:00Z")
> [@FigNorton](#): > > your quote isn’t about a recent finding. It’s a doctor reasoning why they _could_ be more contagious. That particular quote, yes. Other portions of the article refer to data, for instance: > “While the reported relative percent of new COVID-19 cases who acquired infection from an individual with asymptomatic COVID-19 infection is variable, that such transmission occurs is well accepted,” said [Dr. Aditya H. Gaur](https://www.stjude.org/directory/g/aditya-gaur.html), director of clinical research and infectious diseases at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. > > Gaur also said modeling data suggests that “such transmission is a major driver of the spread of SARS-CoV-2 infection.” I’ll grant the article seems short on links to studies. I don’t have time right now to go try to hunt up anything better. Maybe you’ll find something in the meantime. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2020, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protocols-for-coliving-house-7-roommates/926063/32 "2020-12-06T20:37:14Z")
Make them stay outside, masked. Stay six feet away at all times. Simple, tested, and effective. Anything else you do, has to be added to those three, not instead of. ---
**Author:** ![tofor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tofor/32/13727_2.png) [@tofor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tofor)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2020, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protocols-for-coliving-house-7-roommates/926063/33 "2020-12-07T16:45:36Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > Which is true; but some people don’t have a fever but are infected and infectious. So relying on a thermometer test is a really bad idea. Some people with COVID-19 have a fever (or another infections disease). If we catch those people at the door and don’t let them in, we make inside safer. Everybody still should wear a mask, stay distanced, and not stay longer than necessary. The temperature check is one part of the response, and certainly shouldn’t be the only response of any business or indoor location. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2020, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protocols-for-coliving-house-7-roommates/926063/34 "2020-12-07T17:00:38Z")
> [@tofor](#): > > Some people with COVID-19 have a fever (or another infections disease). If we catch those people at the door and don’t let them in, we make inside safer. True. But this thread isn’t about a business that people actually need to go into. It’s about a house in Hawaii, which nobody other than the residents needs to go into. ---
**Author:** ![tofor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tofor/32/13727_2.png) [@tofor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tofor)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2020, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protocols-for-coliving-house-7-roommates/926063/35 "2020-12-07T17:05:08Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > It’s about a house in Hawaii, which nobody other than the residents needs to go into. Right. Sorry, I lost track of the context. ---
**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:** [December 8, 2020, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protocols-for-coliving-house-7-roommates/926063/36 "2020-12-08T01:08:11Z")
But it doesn’t stop someone with a scratchy throat. And I think that’s the earlier symptom. And I think people are infectious a few days before they develop a fever, if they even do develop a fever. Yes, it might keep out a few infectious people. But it won’t keep out most of the infectious people. ---
**Author:** ![FigNorton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fignorton/32/5619_2.png) [@FigNorton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FigNorton)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2020, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protocols-for-coliving-house-7-roommates/926063/37 "2020-12-08T01:15:08Z")
Fever is the top of the list symptom from what I’ve seen. > **[COVID-19 and Your Health](https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html)** > > Symptoms, testing, what to do if sick, daily activities, and more. Where did you see scratchy throat as an earlier indication? ---
**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:** [December 8, 2020, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protocols-for-coliving-house-7-roommates/926063/38 "2020-12-08T01:48:02Z")
That same list says “Sore throat”. And it’s not ranked by time. Personally, a tickle in the throat is almost always my first symptom when I develop a respiratory disease, but I suppose covid could be completely different. So… google is my friend… This says that the first symptoms are typically fever and cough, and a sore throat develops a day or two later: > **[A day-by-day breakdown of coronavirus symptoms shows how COVID-19 goes from...](https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-covid19-day-by-day-symptoms-patients-2020-2)** > > The first symptom is often a fever. By day five, the person may have difficulty breathing. By day 10, they might be admitted to the ICU. It also says that perhaps 40% of people get no symptoms. That’s similar to some other sources I found with a quick google search. I read early on in numerous sources that fever was one of the most common symptoms, but was only present in 70% of the people who were sick. The symptoms can be very diverse, with some people only having intestinal issues, for instance. There’s no way I would trust a temperature check to keep away covid. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2020, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protocols-for-coliving-house-7-roommates/926063/39 "2020-12-09T04:02:50Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > Are you sure? > > This may be one of the things they’re still trying to sort out (it’s not always easy to tell how people got it), but at least some don’t agree with you: In Australia, with very extensive case tracing, most of the infections come from a fraction of the carriers, many of whom infect nobody. That infectious fraction seems to be made up of symptomatic and pre-symptomatic carriers. On the numbers as reported, asymptomatic carriers don’t seem to be very infective. This is not in conflict with an observation that “such transmission is a major driver”. In any good system, _symptomatic_ transmission is not a major driver. In any good system, pre-symptomatic transmission can be tracked and contained by contact tracing. If the system is working well, the _remaining_ cases should be what drives the epidemic. Regarding the house: each of us gets to make a decision on where we want to be, between Howard Hughes and Charlie Sheen. The traditional advice for “professional gamblers” was \*ignore the odds. Only bet on a horse you think is going to win". MONA, the Museum of Old and New Art, in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, was funded by a guy who realized that, with modern analysis, you could bet on risk and return. ---
**Author:** ![FigNorton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fignorton/32/5619_2.png) [@FigNorton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FigNorton)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2020, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protocols-for-coliving-house-7-roommates/926063/40 "2020-12-09T06:09:43Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > There’s no way I would trust a temperature check to keep away covid. Ok, but isn’t it useful enough to rise sbove “theatre”? ---
**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:** [December 9, 2020, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protocols-for-coliving-house-7-roommates/926063/41 "2020-12-09T13:11:00Z")
Not in my opinion, no. As one part of a screening that includes more useful things, like asking people about their possible exposures and whether they have any symptoms and whether they can smell this bottle of menthol, then sure. But as a stand-alone test I think it’s just theater, designed to make people feel they are “doing something” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protocols-for-coliving-house-7-roommates/926063.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protocols-for-coliving-house-7-roommates/926063.md?page=3)