COVID-19 EXPOSURE/CONTACT GUIDANCE 8/14/21

We have been seeing increased numbers of positive COVID-19 cases in CT as well as in our CAHC office in the last several weeks. We encourage families to be thoughtful about gatherings, masking when in the company of others outside of your home and in public places. Any symptoms, even if mild, should prompt you to seek testing. The following is an update to help you to determine what exposures and contacts mean for you and your family members. 

CONTACT= Being within 6 feet of someone for 15 minutes over a 24 hour period regardless of mask status. Or, direct close physical contact with a positive person, or their cough, spit, sneeze droplets

EXPOSURE= Contact (see above) with a person presumed positive or known positive for COVID-19 anytime from 2 days before their symptoms or positive test through the end of their 10 day isolation time.

ISOLATION=you are positive or presumed positive and are “isolating” away from others for 10 days including your own family members when possible/masking in home when you are in any shared space.

QUARANTINE=You have been exposed and are now staying HOME and away from others for a period of time until you have either had sufficient testing that you are negative or 14 days has passed from your LAST day of exposure to a positive person. Even if you come out of quarantine by day 10 you must monitor for any symptoms for 14 days and wear a mask when in public places for the full 14 day period. (Please remember that if the person who exposed you can’t stay isolated from you then your quarantine will be longer because it is based on the LAST day you are in contact with the person who has covid…this may be their 10^th day of their isolation time so your quarantine time would be those 10 days plus your 14 days afterward)

            **(If you are immunocompromised your quarantine time may be up to 20 days, please contact your physician if this applies to you.)

 

EXPOSURE WHILE FULLY VACCINATED= (You are more than 2 weeks after your last dose of a 2 dose vaccine series.)

1. Get tested on day 3-5 after exposure
2. You do not need to quarantine if you are feeling well
3. Wear a mask in public places for at least 14 days
4. Monitor for symptoms closely. Any symptoms require a test
5. Consider testing again around day 7-10

 

EXPOSURE WHILE UNVACCINATED OR NOT FULLY VACCINATED:

1. Get tested when you are notified of exposure if possible but definitely at day 5-7 after exposure
2. Quarantine starts immediately  for 7 to 10 days

-10 days of quarantine if you do not get tested at day 5-7

-7-10 days of quarantine if you test negative at day 5-7

         3. You MUST monitor for symptoms for a full 14 days AND WEAR MASK in any public places for 14 days.

         4. GET TESTED AGAIN if you develop any symptoms whatsoever within the 14 day period

 

*IF YOU HAD COVID WITHIN 90 DAYS prior to the exposure you do not need to quarantine or get tested UNLESS YOU HAVE ANY SYMPTOMS. If you have any symptoms you do need to re-test and isolate until you have test results back.

 

WHILE YOU WAIT FOR TEST RESULTS:

-ANYONE WHO HAS TEST RESULTS PENDING WHO HAS HAD AN EXPOSURE SHOULD BE ISOLATING UNTIL THEIR TEST RESULT IS KNOWN.

-ANYONE WHO HAS A TEST RESULT PENDING WHO HAS ANY SYMPTOMS SHOULD ASSUME THEY HAVE COVID-19 UNTIL THEIR TEST RESULT IS BACK AND THEY SHOULD REMAIN HOME UNTIL THEY ARE FEELING BETTER IF THEIR TEST IS NEGATIVE.        

 

A POSITIVE TEST:

1. You must remain in isolation for 10 days from the beginning of symptoms or 10 days from the time of the test if you have no symptoms.
2. You may come out of isolation after 10 days IF you have no fever for 24 hours and you are feeling well. If you are still not feeling well, extend your isolation period until you do.
3. If you are immunosuppressed you will need to talk with your doctor about extending your isolation period up to 20 days or more.
4. ***If you PLAY SPORTS  please speak with your physician about when it would be safe to return to activity
5. ***If your child recovers and then gets sick again within 4-8 weeks after they had COVID-19 you need to contact us immediately if they have fever AND any of the following symptoms: abdominal pain, diarrhea, extreme fatigue, chest pain or tightness, bloodshot eyes, bad headache, neck pain, feeling faint or dizzy, rash, vomiting or are acting very ill or disoriented, or appear very pale or blue. Rarely, children can develop a condition called MIS-C after infection with COVID-19 and this can be very serious if not treated quickly. ****

A NEGATIVE TEST:

1. It is possible that your test was a false negative so please be thoughtful about when you are able to leave your quarantine as it is possible that you could still develop symptoms through day 14.Wear your mask for 14 days whenever in the presence of others not in your immediate household. 
2. Anyone who is sick should stay home until they are feeling better—NO fever for 24 hours off medication, eating and drinking well, having reasonable energy or for kids, not terribly fussy/back to their usual mood. Even if you do not have COVID-19, anyone catching your illness would then have to go through all the testing, isolating, etc. to rule out covid if they become ill.
3. If your symptoms are suspiciously consistent with COVID-19 such as loss of smell/taste, pneumonia, etc. and you have had an exposure, please assume you have COVID-19 and isolate from others.
4. Remember, if you have a negative test but were exposed, you need to wear a mask when around others for the full 14 days even if you are no longer in quarantine as you may become symptomatic later than 10 days and you may be contagious to others for up to 2 days prior to your symptoms starting. 

 

A WORD ABOUT TESTING:

If your child has any symptoms please consider testing. Many cases have been asymtomatic or very mildly symptomatic and without testing we have no way of knowing. Any respiratory symptoms (congestion, runny nose, cough, sore throat, "allergy-like" symptoms, runny or bloodshot eyes, etc.) or gastrointestinal symptoms (vomiting/diarrhea/abdominal pain) can be associated with Covid-19. Fever, headache, body aches, chills, or fatigue have also been widely reported symptoms. Please test if there is any question. 

If your child has any symptoms that are concerning for Covid-19 and you do not test, he/she must remain home for at least 10 days from the onset of symptoms before they can return to school, daycare, or be out in public spaces even if they are feeling well sooner than 10 days. He/She would be a presumed positive case and should follow all "isolation" guidelines listed above. 

If you need testing related to travel or to enter an event and have no symptoms, the rapid antigen test is less reliable and we would encourage a PCR test if there are no associated symptoms. This is the testing that is done through the Yale New Haven testing sites. 

Most children have done quite well with Covid-19 and if symptoms are mild, your child is acting fairly well, it would be ok to obtain testing without contacting our office first. Yale New Haven Hospital has a very efficient and convenient program for testing using the more reliable PCR test. 

You may call 203 668-3355 to talk with the covid hotline to schedule or you may go to [email protected] website to schedule your own test and any convenient time and location. 

**Please note, results from Yale testing do not automatically come to our office and you will need to access MyChart to access your results. Please let us know if your child tests positive so that we can talk through reasons that you would need to seek medical attention for your child and so that we can update your child's chart. 

At any time if your child has concerning symptoms (difficulty breathing, overly lethargic or overly irritable, is dehydrated, or anything else that has you worried) please call the office to schedule a visit but let us know that your child has Covid-19 so we can prepare appropriately for the visit. Also, another reminder that if your child has had covid and becomes sick again in the 4-8 weeks after they recover, you should be calling us for guidance as this can be a concern. If your child plays sports he/she will need clearance to return to sports even after a mild case of covid and you should schedule a follow up visit with us 2-3 weeks after their illness.