Negative for COVID-19

I just found out I tested negative for COVID-19, now what?

What to do when you test negative for COVID-19? Let's look at some scenarios. But first, if you were tested at Conway Regional Medical Center, know that you can call their hotline at (501) 506-2747. Also, for many families they are receiving calls and advice from the Arkansas Department of Health. As the ADH is very busy with COVID-19 calls, some families are not receiving this call or receiving this call later than expected.

Scenario 1: You or your child have no known exposure to COVID-19. You or your child were tested because you had symptoms concerning for COVID-19 and you just found out that your test is negative

As there is no known exposure, you may discontinue the quarantine that was started while you were waiting for the send-off PCR COVID-19 test to be negative. Your child, if they are in school, may need additional authorization by the school before returning to school. Please contact the school directly to determine the next steps that you need to take.

Scenario 2: You or your child had direct exposure but are no longer in close contact with the person who has COVID-19. You or your child feel well and have no symptoms.

In this scenario you or your child need to quarantine for a total of 7 days after exposure IF you had a test run on day 5 after exposure and it was negative. You must have a negative test done 48 hrs before you end quarantine. For example, if on Day 4 you get tested and are negative, you would need to be retested on or after day 5 in order to end your quarantine 48 hrs later (e.g. tested and negative on day 6, can end quarantine after day 8). Or if you are tested on day 7 you could end your quarantine after day 9. Your child, if they are in school, may need additional authorization by the school before returning to school. Please contact the school directly to determine the next steps that you need to take.

Please see this website for details: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/quarantine.html

Scenario 3: You or your child had direct exposure but are no longer in close contact with the person who has COVID-19. However, you or your child have symptoms such as fever, cough, congestion, fatigue, headache, or body aches that could be related to COVID-19. In addition, you just found out your test is negative.

In this scenario you would need to quarantine for 14 days despite your negative test. The 14 day period starts the day after your last day of exposure. For example, let's say you were last exposed to someone on January 2nd. Then your first day of exposure is January 3rd. If you have symptoms but just tested negative then you would need to quarantine between January 3rd through January 16th. January 16th would be the last day that you quarantine and you could exit quarantine on January 17th. Your child, if they are in school, may need additional authorization by the school before returning to school. Please contact the school directly to determine the next steps that you need to take.

Scenario 4: You or your child have direct exposure to someone with COVID-19 and this person lives in the home. You or your child have no symptoms.

In this scenario you would need to quarantine while the person who has COVID-19 is quarantined. You and your child's exposure quarantine would start the day after the person who has COVID-19 ends their quarantine. For example, if dad has COVID-19 and quarantines between January 2nd and January 11th then he would come out of quarantine on January 12th (assuming no fever and improving symptoms) but you and your child would start your exposure quarantine on that day (January 12th). You would then quarantine for between 7 and 14 days. You and your child could exit the quarantine after day 7 if you have a negative send off test on day 5. So, in our example, you would quarantine from January 2nd to January 18th if a send off COVID-19 test was performed and is negative on January 16th. You could then come out of quarantine on January 19th. Your child, if they are in school, may need additional authorization by the school before returning to school. Please contact the school directly to determine the next steps that you need to take.

Scenario 5: You or your child have direct exposure to someone with COVID-19 and this person lives in the home. You or your child have symptoms that could be related to COVID-19 such as fever, cough, congestion, fatigue, headache, or body aches. In addition, you or your child's test is negative.

In this scenario, since you or your child have symptoms that could be related to COVID-19, you or your child would need to quarantine while the person who has COVID-19 quarantines and the first day of your 14 day quarantine period would start the day after the person who has COVID-19 ends their quarantine. For example, if dad has COVID-19 and quarantines from January 2nd to January 11th then you and your child would need to quarantine for this time period as well. You and your child, if symptomatic, would also need to quarantine from January 12th to January 25th (despite having a negative COVID-19 test) and could come out of quarantine on January 26th. Your child, if they are in school, may need additional authorization by the school before returning to school. Please contact the school directly to determine the next steps that you need to take.

What to do after quarantine?

It is important to follow the following precautions:

• Avoid contact with sick people
• Avoid crowded areas and gatherings of more than 10 people
  
• Cough/sneeze into your elbow/arm
• Avoid touching your face
• Stay home if you are sick
• Wash your hands regularly
• Clean and disinfect your house regularly, including door knobs, light switches, faucets, and other regularly touched surfaces
• Avoid shaking hands with others
• Wear a face mask or covering while in public or around people who do not live in your home (required for everyone over the age of 10, recommended for children over 2 years of age)

Resources to review if you have additional questions:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/quarantine.html

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/end-home-isolation.html

If you have additional questions after reviewing this information please feel free to call either our Conway branch or our Greenbrier branch to speak with one of our nurses. If you have symptoms and you need to speak with one of our providers, we can schedule a telemedicine visit so you can discuss your symptoms and concerns with one of our friendly providers.