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- A record number of Americans have traveled for Thanksgiving despite warnings from health officials to stay home and avoid contracting COVID-19.
- The United States set new coronavirus records in November, including daily cases and hospitalizations.
- Some of the people who chose to travel during Thanksgiving may have been exposed to the virus. The only way to find out is with a COVID-19 PCR test, and we’ll walk you through how long you need to wait before getting tested.
The CDC has urged Americans to avoid traveling on Thanksgiving because the transmission of the coronavirus is out of control. The US epidemic shattered new records throughout November. The number of daily infections nearly exceeded 200,000 last week, with more than 3 million people testing positive for COVID-19 in the first three weeks of the month alone. The number of hospitalizations has also increased dramatically, breaking record after record. The number of deaths has also increased, approaching the records of March and April. Models indicate that the number of cases will continue to reach new astronomical highs in the coming weeks, fueled in part by the Thanksgiving and Christmas gatherings.
That’s why health experts like Dr Anthony Fauci have warned of Thanksgiving celebrations this year, warning people not to travel to be with loved ones this year. But millions of Americans still decided to travel for Thanksgiving, setting new airport traffic records for 2020. The TSA screened more than one million passengers three days last week, registering the highest volume since March 16.
Given the increased community that is spreading across most of the US states, many people will have been exposed to the virus during or around Thanksgiving. If there are no symptoms, the only sure way to find out is to take a COVID-19 test. But getting tested too early can give false positives or false negatives, so we’ll tell you how long to wait.
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“The strong science-based recommendation is that family and friends don’t get together for Thanksgiving,” said family doctor Harris Cohen. Better life. But if you are going home for the holidays, you should take a “five days after possible exposure” test. Getting tested earlier than this wouldn’t necessarily lead to a correct diagnosis. If you were exposed to COVID-19 on Thanksgiving, the virus will not have had enough time to multiply, and testing will not pick it up in the nose and saliva samples.
“The chances of getting a false negative test result decrease if you get tested a few days after getting infected or a few days after the onset of symptoms,” according to Harvard Health.
In August, a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine examined false negative rates in the days following exposure to the virus. The researchers found that the chance of getting a false positive from a PCR test was 67% on the fourth day, but dropped to 38% a day later. It fell further to 20% on the eighth day after exposure.
If symptoms appear, they could confirm your suspicion of exposure to COVID-19. It could also be a cold or the flu, but you’d better assume it’s COVID-19 until you get a proper diagnosis. And the only way to be sure is with a COVID-19 test.
To get accurate results, you should opt for a PCR test rather than a rapid test, as PCR is still the gold standard for COVID-19 testing.
If you believe you were exposed on Thanksgiving, you should wear a face mask at all times when around other people and socially distanced as much as possible. You should avoid the crowds until you get your test results and isolate yourself as long as possible to avoid infecting others.
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According to CDC guidelines, if the test is positive, you will need to self-isolate for 14 days at home and avoid contact with others. You should contact a doctor and have over-the-counter medications on hand to treat the symptoms. It will also be a good idea to monitor your breathing and blood oxygen levels, and you should seek immediate care if symptoms worsen.
The Sunday after Thanksgiving is expected to deliver another air travel record. Flying during a pandemic can be reasonably safe if all precautions and safety measures are employed. But even so, the risk of transmission is significant, given the increased levels of community transmission in all states. We just heard about a passenger who tested negative but still spread the coronavirus to four others on one flight.
Dr Fauci and other health experts believe they will see Thanksgiving peaks in the coming weeks when further flare-ups are expected, as more people develop symptoms and head to hospital .
Chris Smith started writing about gadgets as a hobby, and before he even knew it he was sharing his take on tech with readers around the world. Whenever he doesn’t write about gadgets, he miserably fails to walk away from them, although he desperately tries. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
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