Hi Chuck,
I could use a practical gut check. My wife almost certainly has COVID-19. Major sore throat, persistent headaches, body aches, severe fatigue started Monday. No Fever, some upper cough, no appetite. She was swabbed on Tuesday; CVS-Quest testing takes about 7-8 days here. She stayed home from work, resting most of the days, and last night started feeling a little better and even had a little bit of appetite. In retrospect she says she had minor symptoms before Monday (maybe a week before) but didn't think much of them.
AT 4 am this morning she got me up with shortness of breath; I dropped her at the ER. They did another swab, and hospital COVID tests are prioritized so we should have results tomorrow or Monday. Her lungs are clear (no pneumonia), and her O2 levels were fine. Apparently shortness of breath was caused by congestion/drainage/CPAP interaction. Diagnosis provisionally COVID-19, pending test results. Got same diagnosis from MDLive appointment yesterday by televisit before the shortness of breath started. Hospital discharged her after two hours with an O2 meter to keep an eye on that, and told her to quarantine in the guest room (we have not isolated from each other up to this point). She seems perkier today than yesterday, even after the toradol shot wore off. They also gave her fluids and potassium (she was low on K).
Anyway, a concern of ours has been our upcoming (Saturday 7/18) flight to Maryland to visit my ailing (dying of cancer) father. I had assumed that if the COVID-19 test came back positive, the trip was absolutely off due to risks of transmission. The doctor however said that if Anne improves and is symptom free for three days leading up to the trip, we're clear to fly and not worry about me or the boys having picked it up and transmitting it either on the plane or to my father.
Apparently, if the boys and I have no symptoms by then, either we are unlikely to have caught it from my wife, or if we had asymptomatic case(s) the risk that we would still be infectious by then is in the background noise, given the timing of things.
Does this sound consistent with the standards you are seeing and recommending?
Thanks and I wish you well in the COVID-19 screening line today.