Should you take a coronavirus test before seeing your friends and family?

The coming holidays, another major increase in new COVID-19 cases in the United States, and warnings of a dark and deadly winter ahead all raise new questions about coronavirus testing.

Should you take a COVID-19 test – which shows if you currently have an infection – if you’re about to visit family for Thanksgiving or take a year-end vacation?

COVID-19 testing in the United States is, overall, more accessible and faster than it was several months ago. But after the last outbreak of the fall, long lines have formed in places like Washington state, where wait times can reach several hours at some test sites and sites are struggling. to meet demand, reported NBC affiliate KING 5..

Long lines have also been reported in parts of New York City, Connecticut, Illinois, Missouri, California, Florida and other states.

Antibody tests – which can show if you’ve ever had a coronavirus infection – may be more readily available, but doctors don’t yet know how much a person could be protected from COVID-19 if they have antibodies. against the new coronavirus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted.

Dr Gary LeRoy, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians, has been worried for months about a new wave of infections to come.

“A chill goes up my spine every time someone asks me, ‘What do you think is going to happen in the future? “,” LeRoy, a family physician who practices in Dayton, Ohio, told TODAY this summer.

“This is something we have never encountered in the modern age. The closest comparison we have is the Spanish flu in 1918. It came back.

Here’s what you need to know:

I will attend or organize a family reunion. Should I get tested?

Not everyone needs a test, the CDC advised. He also pointed out that the safest way to observe Thanksgiving this year is to stay home and celebrate with the people in your household rather than traveling to see extended family.

The CDC recommends testing if:

• you have symptoms of COVID-19.
• you have had close contact – within 6 feet for a total of 15 minutes or more – with someone who has confirmed COVID-19.
• You have been referred for testing by your doctor, or by the local or national health department.

The best time to test is around five to seven days after exposure, as it takes that long for the virus to replicate enough to be detected.

But just one negative test doesn’t mean you don’t have the virus, experts said. Doctors call it “just a snapshot in time.” Just because you test negative now doesn’t mean you won’t test positive tomorrow or even later today, so it’s not a license to ignore basic precautions.

“A negative is not a ‘Get out of jail free’ card,” Dr. Alan Wells, medical director of clinical laboratories at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, told NBC News.

“I want you to think of the COVID-19 test as you would the pregnancy test for birth control,” Dr. Paul Pottinger, an infectious disease expert at the University of Washington in Seattle, told KING 5.

“It could be part of the plan, but by itself it won’t. It’s the same with COVID-19.”

I am going to visit an elderly family member. Should I get tested?

No, regarding the COVID-19 test, unless you think you’ve been exposed to the virus, have symptoms, work in an industry where you may meet sick people, such as healthcare, or have seen a increase in cases in your area, LeRoy said.

Stick to the necessary precautions for wearing a mask, washing your hands and practicing social distancing, LeRoy advised.

“If you think you’ve been exposed or are showing symptoms, I would not visit the elderly family member,” he noted.

When LeRoy visited his 91-year-old mother at a nursing home, he brought his mask and hand sanitizer. He said it wouldn’t be practical to take a COVID-19 test every time he came to the facility.

An antibody test can give people the peace of mind that they have been exposed to the disease before, but they could still spread the virus.

I am going on vacation with my extended family. Do I have to be tested before leaving?

Again, no, unless you think you’ve been exposed to the virus, have symptoms, work in an industry where you might encounter sick people, like healthcare, or have seen an increase in cases in your area. , LeRoy said.

Talk to your family about where you are going and the potential risks. Beware of a scenario like the crowds at Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri over Memorial Day weekend.

“Even though you tested yourself before you left, once you get into this very crowded situation with a group of people standing side by side without a mask, what are you going to do – test yourself again every night?” LeRoy noted.

It is better to take the necessary precautions: wear masks, pay attention to social distancing, and carry hand sanitizer and a thermometer.

“Everyone should have a clear understanding of their responsibility to take care of themselves so that the family can have a vacation where everyone is safe,” said LeRoy.

My young adult children are sent home from a college that had a spike in cases. Should they be tested?

Yes, it’s a good idea for students to take a COVID-19 test within days of returning home, said Dr Marissa Levine, director of the Center for Leadership in Public Health Practice at the University of South Florida. in Tampa.

Some schools also require students to test negative for the virus before leaving for the Thanksgiving vacation, but again, it’s important not to rely too heavily on a negative coronavirus test, experts have warned.

“Let’s just say your test is negative and you are allowed to go home. But once you get home you could develop symptoms and even before you could spread to your family, ”said Dr. Lucian Davis, an associate. professor of epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health.

The best thing students can do is try to quarantine themselves for 14 days before going home, and then quarantine themselves at home, especially before interacting with elderly family members or other people who may be at greater risk of COVID infection.

Should parents of students who have returned home also be tested?

It depends on the risk to the parents, Levine noted. Are they older or do they have underlying health conditions that would put them at risk of contracting the severe form of COVID-19?

If there is a problem, the tests make sense. It can also be important if you work in the healthcare industry, a grocery store, restaurant, or any other place where you meet a lot of people and could spread the disease.

Again, wait a few days after your child returns home to be tested, as it takes time for the virus to develop.