What to do if you test positive for COVID-19
Are you planning on taking a COVID-19 test and want to prepare yourself in case you do test positive? Have you taken the test and got a positive result?
If you do test positive on a test for COVID-19 here are some tips on what you have to do afterwards.
How do you know when to test yourself for the virus?
Before you start worrying about what to do if you test positive for the virus and you haven’t even got tested yet, it’s a good idea to consider whether you should get yourself tested first.
There are a few people who should get tested for the virus. Firstly, if you’re starting to show symptoms of the virus or general flu-like symptoms, then you should definitely get tested. If you’re feeling symptoms, it’s a good idea to buy an at-home antigen test like the Healgen COVID test so that you don’t have to go out to get yourself tested.
You should also get tested if you’re planning on traveling or attending any events, especially ones that are going to happen indoors or at mass gatherings. If you’re meeting immunocompromised individuals, it’s also a good idea to get tested for their safety.
Although these are a good way to determine whether you should get tested or not, that shouldn’t stop you from getting tested if you feel like you need to and if you can.
What do you do if you test positive for COVID-19
If you get tested for the virus and you test positive, here are a few guidelines on what you can do.
Testing positive with an antibody test
If you took an antibody test and tested positive for it, that doesn’t necessarily indicate a current infection of the virus. It only lets you know that you may have been infected by the virus in the past. Thus, it’s better to take an antigen test or an RT-PCR test to be sure.
Contact the right people
If you have a primary healthcare provider, it’s a good idea to call them. Don’t forget to let the people who have interacted with you most recently that you’ve tested positive.
Try to stay at home
As much as possible, you should try and self-isolate for five to seven days and avoid getting in contact with other people, including the people you live with, especially if you:
- Have symptoms of the virus
- Have tested positive for the virus from the antigen or RT-PCR test
In England, you’re no longer required to self-isolate, but it’s still a good step to take just to be safe. Also, check if you’re eligible for any COVID-19 treatments with the NHS.
If your symptoms, if any, start to worsen over time, consider contacting either a health professional or emergency services depending on the level of severity.
How to avoid spreading the virus
Even if you’re not showing any symptoms, you might still want to know how you can avoid spreading the virus to your loved ones and the community. Here are a few tips:
- Try to stay at home as much as possible.
- Avoid contact with people who are at higher risk from COVID-19.
- Get help from loved ones to help you with essentials and other household tasks in a safe manner.
- Check if you can get help from the NHS through support while staying at home after testing positive for COVID-19.
These tips should help protect you and the people around you. Once you feel better, don’t show symptoms, and have taken a test for several days and they’ve tested negative for different days, then you should be good to go.
It’s less frightening when you know what to do
Testing positive for COVID-19 can be less frightening if you know what you have to do to make your life easier while dealing with it. Follow the tips above so you can heal and protect the people around you from the virus after you’ve tested positive for COVID-19.
Photo by Roman Wimmers
