If you believe you were exposed to COVID-19 after attending a gathering over the Thanksgiving holiday break, you may not want to get tested right away.
The Washtenaw County Health Department recommends to quarantine right away if you believe you’ve been exposed to the virus. However, getting tested immediately after a potential exposure may not give you accurate results. Susan Cerniglia is a spokesperson for the health department.
Susan Cerniglia: Right after the exposure, it’s very unlikely that there be enough virus to kind of measure. And what we worry about is that because the virus can take 2 to 14 days to make someone sick, if you’re testing too early it's not really telling you much.
Cerniglia says you may want to wait between 5 to 7 days after a potential exposure to get tested, if not longer. But remember, it’s important to quarantine during that time.Non-commercial, fact based reporting is made possible by your financial support. Make your donation to WEMU today to keep your community NPR station thriving.
Like 89.1 WEMU on Facebook and follow us on Twitter— Jorge Avellan is a reporter for 89.1 WEMU News. Contact him at 734.487.3363 or email him javellan@emich.edu