Quarantine Life

You don't have to

My wife just tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday. I actually had the virus myself about a year and a half ago—plus, I got the Jensen vaccine back about eight months ago—so I'm feeling okay about my own status.
Do you think I need to go into isolation?
Honestly, neither our family doctor nor the local health department gave me any answers that really made sense.

velvetskipper8 said:Where on earth are you supposed to find the self-isolation status on the official portal?
So, I tested positive via PCR, and yesterday my local health department told me I’m stuck in isolation for 10 days—apparently, because it’s been more than four months since my second dose. Then today, an epidemiologist calls me up and basically tells me the health department has no clue what they're doing and isn't even tracking this properly, claiming my isolation is actually only 7 days.
He also mentioned it would be a smart move not to head straight to the pharmacy or the FBI office right after my quarantine ends—mostly because their system is incredibly slow, so I might still show up as "red" in the database even if I'm technically cleared.

I tested positive on a BAT this past Saturday. The result was logged in the state health portal, but I haven't heard a peep from an epidemiologist.
I reached out to my doctor myself, and they informed me that since I've been vaccinated, my isolation is only 7 days.

However, I have a nagging feeling that none of this is actually recorded officially anywhere. Is it standard practice for an epidemiologist to initiate contact, or am I just waiting for a call that isn't coming?

And more importantly—is there any way to verify via the government portal if an isolation order has actually been formally activated? I get the impression mine hasn't been.

Paul Jackson6 said:I tested positive on a BAT this past Saturday. The result was logged in the state health portal, but I haven't heard a peep from an epidemiologist.
I reached out to my doctor myself, and they informed me that since I've been vaccinated, my isolation is only 7 days.

However, I have a nagging feeling that none of this is actually recorded officially anywhere. Is it standard practice for an epidemiologist to initiate contact, or am I just waiting for a call that isn't coming?

And more importantly—is there any way to verify via the government portal if an isolation order has actually been formally activated? I get the impression mine hasn't been.

Your primary care physician is the one who handles the isolation orders. As for the epidemiologists, they tend to call people at random—they aren't exactly calling everyone...

mellowskipper said:Your primary care physician is the one who handles the isolation orders. As for the epidemiologists, they tend to call people at random—they aren't exactly calling everyone...

I haven't seen anything posted on my MyChart portal, nor have I received any formal notification via mail. While I certainly have no intention of wandering around town aimlessly, as far as the official record is concerned, I am not under quarantine.

Paul Jackson6 said:I haven't seen anything posted on my MyChart portal, nor have I received any formal notification via mail. While I certainly have no intention of wandering around town aimlessly, as far as the official record is concerned, I am not under quarantine.

Don't sweat it—they have all the necessary departments to handle this stuff. You won't get an official notice unless an epidemiologist actually calls you.

Got my booster about a month and a half ago, but I just tested positive on a BAT today. I'm heading in for a PCR tomorrow. I’ve been dealing with symptoms since Tuesday and reported them then, even though I was still testing negative on the BAT as recently as yesterday.
Does this mean I'm stuck in isolation for seven days, through Monday?

I actually got a call from an epidemiologist—yeah, they’re still tracking all this data and keeping those records updated

The rule is you have to self-isolate for 7 days starting from the moment those symptoms first show up.

So, I’ve been vaccinated, and my doctor prescribed a seven-day isolation period starting from when the symptoms first showed up. It’s pretty much the standard protocol, though they mentioned they might extend it by another two days if my temperature doesn't drop below 99 degrees Fahrenheit. Basically, I need to be fever-free for a full 24 hours before the end of my quarantine to be cleared. Honestly, it feels a bit impossible right now because my temperature keeps hovering around 99.3 or 99.4 every time I check it, even though I’m supposed to be "back to normal" by tomorrow. Well, I suppose we'll just see how it goes. They really have shortened these isolation periods since the Omicron variant arrived, haven't they? I'm still coughing and sneezing quite a bit, so I can't quite wrap my head around the idea that I'll be able to walk around among people in just a few days without being contagious.

Hannah Stewart said:So, I’ve been vaccinated, and my doctor prescribed a seven-day isolation period starting from when the symptoms first showed up. It’s pretty much the standard protocol, though they mentioned they might extend it by another two days if my temperature doesn't drop below 99 degrees Fahrenheit. Basically, I need to be fever-free for a full 24 hours before the end of my quarantine to be cleared. Honestly, it feels a bit impossible right now because my temperature keeps hovering around 99.3 or 99.4 every time I check it, even though I’m supposed to be "back to normal" by tomorrow. Well, I suppose we'll just see how it goes. They really have shortened these isolation periods since the Omicron variant arrived, haven't they? I'm still coughing and sneezing quite a bit, so I can't quite wrap my head around the idea that I'll be able to walk around among people in just a few days without being contagious.

Meanwhile, I had to grind through ten whole days because I tested positive. No fever, no sneezing, no cough at all. I wasn't vaccinated.

Hannah Stewart said:So, I’ve been vaccinated, and my doctor prescribed a seven-day isolation period starting from when the symptoms first showed up. It’s pretty much the standard protocol, though they mentioned they might extend it by another two days if my temperature doesn't drop below 99 degrees Fahrenheit. Basically, I need to be fever-free for a full 24 hours before the end of my quarantine to be cleared. Honestly, it feels a bit impossible right now because my temperature keeps hovering around 99.3 or 99.4 every time I check it, even though I’m supposed to be "back to normal" by tomorrow. Well, I suppose we'll just see how it goes. They really have shortened these isolation periods since the Omicron variant arrived, haven't they? I'm still coughing and sneezing quite a bit, so I can't quite wrap my head around the idea that I'll be able to walk around among people in just a few days without being contagious.

It drops suddenly and clears up.
Yesterday morning I was at 99.0°F, in the afternoon I was under 98.6°F, then in the evening back to 99.4°F. Today, I've been under 98.6°F all day.
Yesterday I had a cough, runny nose, and a headache. Today, all of that is significantly better (it moved to my sinuses, which might last until summer or until I get antibiotics, which I won't).
My symptoms started Saturday, mild (fever up to 99.3°F and a slight headache). On Sunday, it hit 100.5°F, my head hurt more, and I had a sore throat.
Monday was the same as Sunday. Tuesday was the same. Like you, I thought this wouldn't pass so quickly.

mellowskipper said:Your primary care physician is the one who handles the isolation orders. As for the epidemiologists, they tend to call people at random—they aren't exactly calling everyone...

The CDC sent me an email stating a 7-day isolation period. They sent it one day after my positive PCR test, two days after my home rapid test came back positive, and three days after my symptoms actually started. Then, an epidemiologist tells me my isolation lasts until Friday. So, according to the CDC, I shouldn't have been isolating through Monday, yet according to the specialist, I'm out by Friday night.
Of course I’m going out on Saturday. The CDC clearly has no clue what they're writing; they just blast out emails without considering the actual timeline of when the infection occurred.

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Walter Thomas18 said:The CDC sent me an email stating a 7-day isolation period. They sent it one day after my positive PCR test, two days after my home rapid test came back positive, and three days after my symptoms actually started. Then, an epidemiologist tells me my isolation lasts until Friday. So, according to the CDC, I shouldn't have been isolating through Monday, yet according to the specialist, I'm out by Friday night.
Of course I’m going out on Saturday. The CDC clearly has no clue what they're writing; they just blast out emails without considering the actual timeline of when the infection occurred.

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In this situation, the CDC is just following orders from the public health department, so you don't need to worry about it.

And even if he doesn't get it. I have an email from the CDC confirming my stay here in the States.
What a joke... He might as well start quoting emails since it’s clearly impossible to reach anyone by phone or in person.

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mellowskipper said:Meanwhile, I had to grind through ten whole days because I tested positive. No fever, no sneezing, no cough at all. I wasn't vaccinated.

... honestly, I still don't get how people can even question if getting vaccinated makes sense when you test positive after three doses?

dustymarlin10 said:... honestly, I still don't get how people can even question if getting vaccinated makes sense when you test positive after three doses?

I'll give you an answer.
It’s not an issue being positive when the illness is asymptomatic or just mild.
But we've finally reached this point now.
With this mild, asymptomatic virus called Omicron, you've got people dying who probably wouldn't have if they were vaccinated.
Do you realize how much easier it is when you have an elderly relative at home who's vaccinated and a kid brings COVID home from school? Or when someone tests positive in the hospital, but all the other patients in the room are vaccinated?
You feel safe knowing they won't catch anything.
Is it better to die with 65-70g on your deathbed over what's basically a cold for most people, or is it better to get three shots and stay asymptomatic?
From what I see, you'd rather just die. And yet, you were whining about those liver enzyme levels hitting 150—which is just a temporary spike while you were in the hospital.
Honestly, I don't get it. A 55-year-old guy completely obsessed with vaccines and COVID.
At least it's nice that someone has zero other problems in life at 55; it gives the rest of us hope that one day we might be that carefree.

... what about all the people who got the shots only to end up in the ICU on a ventilator or dead anyway?
The reality is this—and I’m being generous here—that the vaccine was designed for the alpha strain, which might have actually done something back then, but now we're dealing with what feels like the tenth different variant that makes the whole thing basically useless.
So what’s even the point of getting boosters when they don't work anymore, especially since those geniuses who bought hundreds of millions of doses are already talking about needing a fourth one?
Is anyone actually going to hold people accountable for wasting all that money on vaccines that just sit there?
Wouldn't it have been smarter to dump all that cash into actual disease prevention instead?

Anyway, you shouldn't really care about my personal gripes or whatever. This isn't about me, it's about the virus.

I can't really get into it, mostly because I've had a much better vantage point than you over the last couple of years, plus I've been keeping tabs on other stuff too.

P.S. It’s pretty hard not to notice the trail you leave behind.

I can only say that at my workplace, most people who already had two or three shots and then caught COVID aren't even considering another dose anymore.
Well, maybe those with underlying health issues might still consider it—which I suppose is fine. In my view, they’re the actual target demographic, along with the elderly population.

I’m telling you, the people who’ve already grabbed three shots aren't gonna be the ones out here throwing fits or freaking out if we need more later.
Obviously, it all just comes down to whatever mutation rolls around next.