Doesn’t a “stockpile” also make you somewhat of a hoarder? 
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My son had a similar experience. He rode in a car for 3h with a friend and hung out in very close proximity for probably 30 min with a third. That afternoon, he said he felt a little weird, like he was getting a cold. He tested negative on a lateral flow test. We has grandparents and an aunt over that night. The next morning, he woke and said he certainly had a cold. He tested positive, and again on day 4. All in all, he exposed the two of us and 5 other people for an extended period on his first day of symptoms (he isolated and masked after that). No one else got it.
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Help me understand when I can come out of isolation.
Exposed tuesday night
Start of cold symptoms friday (mild sore throat)
Tested negative on home tests friday and Sat.
Today i feel the worse, but still cold like symptoms. Tested positive.
Providing I am symptom free, so i come out of isolation 5 days from positive test, or 5 days from original symptoms?
I am vaxxed and boosted.
My understanding is five days from symptoms onset as long as you are fever-free and symptoms are improving (don’t have to be completely symptom-free). You might consider an extra day or two just to be sure if you still are symptomatic.
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Important reminder: you’re supposed to wear a mask when around others for an additional 5 days.
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If you have enough tests that you do not need to ration them, then why not use them to inform when you may no longer be contagious?
Canadian border will not accept antigen test, only a molecular one(i.e. PCR).
Otherwise, in the Twin Cities, there is a shortage of front line health care workers. Urgent Care clinics are being shut down because of a lack of Dr.'s, PA’s, NP’s, and nurses. ED’s are running on fumes, with any manager that has some experience being pressed into service, and workers asked to work multiple OT shifts.
Nope. Makes me a planner. I also ‘stockpile’ the great wool socks only sold during winter months at Costco. As well as meat when it’s on sale. I ran out and got several cases of wine when the CA fires were wrecking havoc on the wine fields. It’s called anticipating a future problem and making it so that it is less of a problem…sorry…no guilt here.
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@RookieCollegeMom I see it as a planner-hoarder continuum based on the number in possession!
Just like with TP a mere 20 months ago…
(“Several” cases of wine is still way in planning zone 
).
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I did the same. Have been sharing them with many sick friends, though, so will need to restock soon!
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Same here. With a pregnant D, H and I will test at the slightets hint of concern. I’ve also dropped tests at a friend’s house. She has been feeling ‘off’ with a sore throat for a few days. Kaiser can’t even get her in for a test for 3 days and then it takes 3 days to get it back. What is the point?
At 7 days out from onset of suspicious symptoms you are either well on the way to recovery…or hoping your doctor will now agree to see and take action.
I bought the proctored Binax tests for four of us (2 ea) for an international trip in August from two different online retailers. One shipment said it would be late, so I bought some more elsewhere. Ended up that the needed internet connectivity was nonexistent at our destination and had to test at the airport anyway. (All fine.)
At the time I thought it was a complete waste of money. But we were happy to have them for our small holiday gathering and to share with friends. They expire in February. Will do the throat/nasal swab as recommended above.
I think the expiration on those were extended for a year
I agree it makes you more of a smart planner than a greedy hoarder (ha ha, perhaps because I did the same). I started buying them back in September when Delta was starting to take off in my area. I wish that everyone and also our government had done the same—that would have possibly stirred higher production earlier and we’d be in better shape now. I hope and believe our early purchases helped create enough demand to motivate manufacturing. I definitely don’t feel guilty at all. And it’s felt really great to be able to share with friends in need.
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My understanding is that the Binax test expiration was extended TO one year, so an extra 3 to 6 months depending on the lot.
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From symptom onset.
Here’s a nice calculator:
https://covid19.tn.gov/prevention/quarantine-isolation-calculator/?fbclid=IwAR3tkQbx2757P6iHamSKbbplpq0eFkUTHGgxeBqikA30cMBSGru3eSwn578
Here’s a description:
If you are asymptomatic (no symptoms):
- Isolate for 5 full days after your positive test result*
- On Day 6 of no symptoms, you can discontinue isolation but wear a mask around others for 5 more days (no further testing required)
If your symptoms are mild:
- Isolate for 5 full days after symptom onset
- On Day 6, ONLY discontinue isolation if you are fever-free (without using fever-reducers) and your mild symptoms are improving (mild cough, nasal congestion, loss of taste/smell). Wear a mask around others for 5 more days (no further testing required)
If your symptoms are moderate to severe:
- Isolate upon symptom onset
- On Day 6, if your moderate to severe symptoms (fever, chest tightness, shortness of breath, headache that only improves with medication, nausea/vomiting) remain, continue isolation and contact your doctor.
*If you were asymptomatic (no symptoms) upon testing positive but eventually developed symptoms, your clock starts over and Day 0 becomes the day you notice symptoms.
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If asymptomatic is it five days from when you tested or from when you get your result? PCRs taking two days.
I would say it would be logical to be 5 days from the test, not when you got the phone call/text with the result. Whatever is happening in your body has nothing to do with when your lab/health system communicates the results, so it would not make sense to me to base it on the phone call.
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The test is the day you took it, not when you get the results. Turnaround time is lab-dependent. One lab may give you you results in 1 hour, another lab you might not here back for days for the same test.
I agree that you should not feel guilty for planning for your family, but I disagree with the ‘everyone’ recommendation. I still see no need for home testing for my family.
I’d bet that the science says fully-vaccinated asymptomatic masses just don’t need regular testing (which I assume is why the federal Public Health officials were so slow to order them up). IMO, the NFL got it right: test only those with symptoms.
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