COVID+ isolation Q

[7costanza]

How critical is it that a person with covid fully isolates within the household? My H tested positive today and while we do have a room he can isolate in, it’s going to be difficult for me with a toddler, 8 year old, and demanding job. Of course we will make it work if we have to, but if it doesn’t significantly reduce risk I’d rather just mask or something.

The whole thing might be moot anyway, the 2 year old and I both have mild symptoms and are waiting for PCR results, rapid tests were negative.

[niq]

If you're vaccinated, under 50, and not seriously immunocompromised (organ transplant recipient etc), your personal mortality risk is zero or very close to it. The risk to kids is ... it's not zero but it's not large. If you're all staying at home that's no added public health benefit, it depends on whether you think within-the-house isolation/masks/etc is more disruptive hospitalization would be be (I think odds are about 1 in 200 or 1 in 500 for kids 0-9?).

In our school district the kids would be stuck at home until the test negative or 14 days pass, whichever comes first. Plus they can't test until 5 days after the index case tested positive.

I think realistically everyone in the house is going to get sick. A family in our school got sick via a relative, everyone except mom tested positive within the first 2 days, and then mom tested positive on the 4th day. Sorry

[chocolatepie]

We didn't bother - I figured we had all been more than exposed by the time the test was positive, though my toddler was the first positive not my husband.

Somehow, I did not get it even though I quarantined in a (small) house with 2 positives and actively cared for a positive 1 year old. This virus is just so weird sometimes.

If you are positive, I hope it's very mild. We were thankful that both DH and DS had extremely mild/nearly non-existent symptoms.

[sdlaura]

niq, agree with everything you said - and I also think the mortality risk for 8-year-old and toddler rounds to zero. Like 0.0something.

OP, we have four kids and two full time jobs and wouldn’t even try to isolate within the house - of course we’d all quarantine from non household members. And I would hope we all got it at the same time/right away so our quarantine period was shorter.

[Velar Fricative]

We wouldn’t now that we adults are fully vaccinated. Our plan for isolation was different pre-vaccines. We would still wear masks around the house as much as possible, keep windows open, etc.

[lilac05]

We didn’t isolate from each other, only from our community. We looked at all the information we had, including that we had already been exposed before testing. We weighed risks/benefits and physical vs mental health of all and decided we’d rather take our chances. Exposure had already occurred. It seems a crapshoot of who is able to avoid it and who isn’t…and from the people I know, there’s not a direct correlation to who ends up getting it.

We all ended up getting it. I got it the worst (vaccinated), but never had trouble breathing. I’m happy with the decision we made.

[acr]

4 of us in my house (DH, Me, 11 yo DS, 4 yo DD.

My husband was the first to be dx - we kept him isolated from the rest of us. My Daughter & I Had symptoms before we had a test, so we kept our distance from 11 yo DS.

Once DH, DD, & I were dx, we kept the non-infected one isolated.

[lemoncupcake]

The only reason we would isolate in that situation is to shorten the time for kids to return to daycare/school. If they’re in contact with your H their close contact quarantine window doesn’t even start until he is 10 days out from first symptoms, then they have to start their time period of however many days + negative test to return (someone correct me if the # of days has changed).

If the kids exhibit symptoms I would stop isolating one parent and just assume it has already spread.

I hope you’re all feeling better soon!

[7costanza]

Thank you all! This confirms what I was thinking, and now my 8 year old has symptoms too so I assume we all have it and will test positive later this week. My H and I are both vaccinated so hopefully it will stay mild.

[kittie3131]

When my 7 yr old got sick and tested positive, my husband was on business travel. There wasn't much isolation with a sick 7 yr old, two rambunctious 5 year olds and me while also working from home.

A five yr old got sick 4 days later she shares a room with her twin sister. Twin sister never got sick.

I went down three days later. I was run over by the COVID Mac truck. I laid on the couch in misery while kids were a pack of hyianas.

Kids recovered quickly it has taken a week for me to get close to normal again. Halloween was all at home with no trick or treating or trick or treaters at the house.

[Mushe]

I’m sorry you’ve all got symptoms now! My husband recently had a breakthrough infection that popped up a few days after my 3 year old and I shared a cold. I thought for sure I had it then, but tested negative. We isolated him in our guest room, since the rest of us seemed okay. I tested 4x over the next week, and the kids 2x, and we stayed negative. He did have brief contact with kids while masked and grabbing his food. It was luckily mild weather, so he just ate outside alone.