D was exposed on Friday. 4 hour exposure (crew team gathering) All participants were vaxxed. One tested positive today. D is coming home Thursday and we have a family Christmas gathering Saturday. What is the latest as far as testing after exposure? Does she need to quarantine and for how long? Should we call off the gathering? My mother is old but has been boosted. We were planning on rapid testing everyone that day anyway. Wondering if D would test positive within one week of exposure if she did catch it. Thoughts?
5 days after exposure makes sense. Test on Wed, and then if possible get the home tests to continue testing until the event.
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I thought the standard was 3-5 days after exposure.
FYI, ds1 renewed his Covid-wedding vows over T’giving. We were so relieved to clear the week+ period with no one getting sick. Then, the next weekend someone who had been to the wedding went to his crew “prom,” and the following week the whole team got it. 
Those crew parties …
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Hope she’s feeling ok. Quite a puzzle. I found 5-7 days according to cdc, but could be other guidance in your locale. Or maybe cdc updated and i didnt find latest.
“You should still get tested if you’ve had close contact with someone who has COVID-19 or if you have symptoms of COVID-19.
- If you’ve had close contact with someone who has COVID-19, you should get tested 5-7 days after your exposure, even if you don’t have symptoms. You should also wear a mask indoors in public for 14 days following exposure or until your test result is negative.
- If you have symptoms of COVID-19, you should get tested and stay homeand away from others. See a healthcare provider if you are really sick.”
When You’ve Been Fully Vaccinated
How to Protect Yourself and Others
Updated Oct. 15, 2021
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H had similar experience - meeting with all vaxxed participants and one subsequently tested positive. He isolated immediately, worked from home, and started testing - at home tests - on day 6. He did have mild symptoms at some point - don’t remember exactly where in the timeline as this happened in August. His first (at home) positive came on day 8 and he then confirmed with a PCR on day 9. I think rapid testing on Christmas Day - rather than calling off the gathering - makes sense. It is my understanding that the at home tests are very effective at determining if someone is contagious. I am exceedingly cautious so my recommendation - given some elderly guests - is have D do more than one at home test so no concern about false negative if only doing one. Probably overkill, but at $7 each for me it would be worth the peace of mind to have her do 2 in this particular situation…
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Thank you all. I think I’m going to cancel. People are traveling and I don’t want to call them Sat right before they leave if she happens to test positive. I also had forgotten that my SIL will be leaving here Sun to pick up her mother from a nursing home to stay at their house for the week.
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The rapid tests will be unlikely to pick up a + unless there are active, congestion-type symptoms. They are not reliable indicators for asymptomatic or early cases. (We’ve recently experienced this result with a + case in our extended family. Negative rapid when first symptoms, gut instinct said keep them home and did PCR, patient got worse and did another rapid a day later before PCR results back and +, confirmed by the PCR, and rapid showing negative again when slightly less symptoms.) With a known exposure and only five days out, I would do PCR testing the day before if the results can be back the day of the event. We have easily accessed and fast results in our city. You can turn up with symptoms 9-10 days but the majority of cases will show up days 3-5 post-exposure. An entire girls’ team came down with it last week (and other teams right after the event despite all being required to be vaccinated and/or negative PCR before the meet) and all were masked and fully vaccinated. I would find and do PCR testing before and probably keep some social distance and elbow bump. Is your daughter flying home - or other mass transit? I would test after that in any case, even if not having a gathering. Good luck and hoping she stays negative!
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D1 just told me they may have a “Covid situation.”
Son In law went into the office last Monday - Wednesday for the year end planning. There were people from UK at the meeting. SIL wore masks at home for 5 days from Mon to Fri because they have a baby.
On Sunday he got an email that someone at the meeting tested positive. He went to get a rapid test on Sunday and got negative result.
On Monday he got an email that 6 people at the meeting tested positive (most UK people). SIL got a PCR test yesterday and was negative. He is going to get tested again tomorrow.
I saw SIL on Saturday and Sunday and he was negative those 2 days.
I am keeping my fingers crossed he will be negative.
He and D1 got their boosters few weeks ago.
More potential exposure! D’s two roommates were just contact traced. Exposure from another friend. Campus seems to be exploding even though v high vaxx rate. She’s coming home tomorrow and quarantining until Sat. Will test daily (test today was negative) until then.
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So sorry. There are so many breakthrough cases right now. Be safe.
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My best employee in UK told me today that his wife is tested positive, so he may not be available for a week. They were going to get boosted tomorrow.
WIth known exposures, it would be well worth PCR testing for peace of mind vs rapid test. Crossing fingers she stays negative.
However, if PCR tests take days to return results, they may not give as much peace of mind as desired. If in an area where PCR test results are slow, rapid testing may still be needed in the final window. For example, if it takes two days to get PCR test results, then the last possible test is on day -2 to see results by day 0 (day of event), so rapid tests on day -1 and day 0 may be needed to see if any infection became detectable after day -2.
The CDC guidance is if you are fully vaccinated you do not need to quarantine even with a close exposure. You should test 5-7 days after exposure and wear a mask indoors for 10 days or until you receive the negative test. If you have PCR tests available in your area, she can test on Wednesday and be comfortable she is negative.
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Our city and county PCR tests are back in 12 hours where we live, I realize other areas don’t necessarily have that response level. Our school does their own PCR testing, hires a company, and is able to have results overnight most times (before sports, after holidays before school is back, etc.) I’m suggesting not relying on rapid tests alone when there is a known close contact/exposure, but to take PCR while being cautious vs getting a rapid test negative and heading out into the holidays. Rapid tests have a role, but not at the expense of PCR testing when symptoms and/or known exposure, that’s all.
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Our public health department says they have heard the CDC guidance may soon be revised to “fully vaccinated” being vaccinated plus boosters with the alarming increase in breakthrough exposures for “fully vaccinated” with two vaccines on board but no booster.
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She will be getting a PCR on Thursday.
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We are dealing with similar. Boosted S was exposed for several hours on Sunday. Found out Tuesday when person got sick and a positive rapid test. S was supposed to come home Thursday but now can’t risk it bc immuno compromised family member. He will stay put until PCR confirms negative in 10 days then fly to meet us at vacation house Xmas eve. If he ends up positive (likely) then we prob won’t see him at all until January. Sad for him and us that it’s come to this. I’m so exhausted trying to navigate the whole thing.
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Kudos to your son for doing the right thing.
Here the health department is sometimes two weeks behind notifying people of an exposure.
When people do at-home tests, they don’t have to report their results and could continue about their lives without isolation. I’m sure that is happening a lot. So not only are there the people who never test at all, but there are plenty who do at-home tests and then can do what they want to, even after getting a positive result.
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From the cases I’ve been reading about, the booster does not seem to be doing well against Omicron. 
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