What To Do If Someone In Your Home Has Been Exposed To COVID
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - Jordan Klein's husband got a positive COVID-19 test last month.
"That's kind of when the panic set in and said okay we gotta separate and isolate," Klein, from Minneapolis, said.
The couple went into lockdown mode. Klein also got a test even though she wasn't having symptoms.
She and her husband stayed on different floors, ordered groceries for delivery, and didn't leave the house for two weeks.
"If he ever needed to come down to the main floor to take a shower, use the bathroom, we wore masks," she said. "I wiped down everything in the house."
Dr. Hannah Lichtsinn with Hennepin Healthcare says if you have COVID-19 symptoms, you should get tested immediately. However, if you've been possibly exposed, schedule a test for five to seven days after the exposure.
"The reason why is if you get tested too soon it's more likely that test will be a false negative or it will say you don't have COVID," Dr. Lichtsinn said. "Even if you're in the process of developing it."
Dr. Lichtsinn says no matter what, quarantining for two weeks is best practice. That includes you test negative after a positive result or test negative after a possible exposure.
"It's possible you wouldn't develop symptoms or positivity until day 13 or 14," she said.
A recent CDC study showed that the virus commonly spreads within households. Taking the steps that Klein did, like isolating early and wearing a mask if you have to be a in a shared space, can lessen the risk. Klein never got sick.
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