Why is a COVID-19 symptomatic antigen test negative? Do you have the flu?Not necessarily — the reason is here

You are isolated for at least a full five days — zero days are the first day of symptoms — because it is responsible behavior. Still, you still have your taste and smell. You don’t want to infect others, and your antigen test will still be negative.

How can we tell the difference as the Omicron variants dominate the world and the flu season takes hold? Until you finally get that positive COVID-19 antigen test— If you are lucky you can find it — The truth is, it’s almost impossible to say.

“Wear masks in public indoor environments in areas that are vaccinated, boosted, and highly infected in the community,” said Rochelle Walensky, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Take a test before you get together.”

Symptoms of COVID-19 and influenza are virtually the same

Both COVID-19 and influenza can be accompanied by fever, cough, shortness of breath / dyspnea, fatigue, sore throat, stuffy nose or stuffy nose, body pain, headache, vomiting, diarrhea, change or loss of taste or odor. There is sex. CDC.

Loss or change in taste or smell more Common in COVID-19, but not a prerequisite for having Omicron, a highly contagious variant that paves the way for schools, workplaces, and family gatherings.

Omicron and Delta pose a greater threat to unvaccinated individuals, but persistent dry cough and shortness of breath are two symptoms that may indicate COVID-19. In particular When exposed to someone who tested positive.

Can you see Catch 22?influenza When The symptoms of COVID-19 are almost the same. Despite all the guidelines that help people distinguish between the two, a positive rapid antigen test is the only surefire way to know which illness you have.

The test is run, not one. People who are infected with COVID-19 and suffer from symptoms not yet Negative antigen test for 1-3 days before the virus propagates. Their immune system, supported by the vaccine, may or may not defeat the virus.

Repeatedly negative with COVID-19 or influenza symptoms

There is a silver lining to make you feel sick. Early in the pandemic, our immune system fought the coronavirus and felt sick. Without existing immunity, there may have been a large amount of virus in the system by the time it felt rotten.

The vaccine was a game changer.Epidemiologist Michael Mina says it can make you feel sick good thing. Vaccines help the immune system recognize and fight the virus more quickly, That I feel sick — not necessarily the viral load.

Mina said you may be symptomatic and pre-infectious, infectious, post-infectious, or never infected. “Symptoms are not a contagious virus,” he said. I have written On Twitter. “This is literally a reflection of the fact that vaccines do their job!”

So we feel scared even when it’s negative. “Immediately after the virus invades us, it recognizes, develops symptoms, and repels them. Then, after the immunity / symptoms begin, it eventually wins and proliferates rapidly,” he said. I added.

“Therefore, if it is symptomatic and negative, it probably means that it is not contagious at that time, but be very careful,” Mina adds. “Isolate if possible and test the next morning or night. (Sometimes longer.)”

Separate and test the symptoms. But when do you want to end the quarantine?

How do you interpret those quick tests? One red line is negative and two red lines are positive. A strong second red line may mean the most infectious. A bright red line indicates the beginning or end of the infection.

It is difficult to decide when and how to end the separation. CDC Maintain that positionn The quarantine policy tells people who are symptomatic and have access to the test to undergo the test before ending the quarantine.But it does no I need it.

Even if the infectivity declines after symptoms are alleviated, CDC critics argue that this creates another gray turmoil and hold individuals responsible for making the decisions most entrusted to public health authorities. increase.

CDC Explanation: “Most SARS-CoV-2 infections occur in the early stages of the disease, generally 1-2 days before and 2-3 days after the onset of symptoms.” Previous Omicron spread like wildfire.

This stance divided public opinion and frustrated some epidemiologists.Many public health advocates say it’s safer to get that negative antigen test Previous Go out to the world. Mina called the CDC guidelines “reckless.”