kiwitripper64

This shows how important understanding travel insurance is. Some companies seem to be offering insurance to cover costs while travelling if you are not allowed home. But I am not sure if that means 3 months in an overseas hotel if you caught Covid, tested positive, recovered but repeatedly tested positive.
I have also read about travelers not allowed to travel if they have been a close contact of a positive tester. The insurance did not cover them as they did not have covid.

HibernateNow

I have not seen any travel insurance that will cover COVID-19 stranded customer for such an extended amount of time. (but if you know of one, please let me know)

Thanks!

Tiramisu

I know of some people who have traveled back to the US from the EU while positive. You need to wait 2 weeks after the first positive test and then get a doctor’s note that you’ve recovered from covid. So maybe the coworker should try a different doctor.
Those infected with covid can continue to shed viral material for weeks after the infection has abated. If I recall correctly, there was a case in South Africa where a woman was shedding for over 230 days. The virus mutated over 30 times in her. She was immunocompromised so this was not a common case. But last year, hospitals in New York didn’t think they could release patients who tested positive and ended up keeping them for 6-8 weeks (real cheap that). Now they know that the time for active infection with shedding of live viruses normally is around 9 days. So after 2 weeks (and no symptoms) it should be possible to get a doctor’s note for travel purposes. This is of course unless they’ve recently changed the rules.

oldpenny16

Sometimes it takes months. The quick tests will give you a faster negative but that test may not to accepted.

lhrsfo

Sounds like Biden will be changing the rules on US entry shortly, so not worth making specific plans until the new regime is published.

gnaget

It's actually 10 days after reduction of symptoms, primarily end of fever, according to CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019...isolation.html For travel to the US you do not need to test for 90 days after your positive test. This is not because they "recognize" natural immunity but the rare cases where 40 cycle PCR tests pick up dead virus. My young son passed a PCR test about 30 days after having been exposed to corona. He did not have any symptoms but antibodies show that he was exposed and his immune system took care of it. For me it was like a common cold that lasted about 5 days. One or two with very mild fever.

QuickMD gives you an over the phone certificate of recovery for $75. That's what I used. My insurance company's telemedicine refused......

tfly212

I came across QuickMD today as I may need them for a trip to the UK in mid Feb. Triple vaxxed with mild symptoms for a couple of days and tested positive today, just don't want to be testing positive in a month when i try to come back to the US. Do you upload the proof of recovery in place of the negative results on the airline website? Thanks in advance.

tai4de2

Data point: tested positive (antigen, did it twice) on around 20 November 2021. I was a little concerned that a PCR test could continue to show positive, but a PCR test 2 months later is negative.

Always Flyin

Using PCR test, with the original strain of COVID, it took me three weeks from the onset of symptoms to get a negative result.

My wife was reinfected with Omicron and tested negative using a lateral flow test on day 7 after showing symptoms.

SEA777GUY

Tested positive on December 9th with BinaxNOW test.
Very mild symptoms.
PCR test negative on January 10th and January 16th.
YMMV

B747-437B

I had a very quick recovery period recently. The various PCRs were conducted in multiple different countries so with different cycle thresholds, but the 07JAN22 and 12JAN22 ones were both done in Turkey at 35 cycle threshold. My positive test came back at 33, but no data was provided for the final negative test.

27DEC21 : Booster shot received
28DEC21 : PCR negative

30DEC21 : Antigen negative

01JAN22 : PCR negative
02JAN22 : PCR negative
03JAN22 : PCR negative

05JAN22 : Antigen negative

07JAN22 : PCR positive - enter quarantine protocol as asymptomatic
08JAN22 : Antigen positive
09JAN22 : Antigen positive
10JAN22 : Antigen negative
11JAN22 : Antigen negative
12JAN22 : PCR negative - exit quarantine protocol as asymptomatic

FXWizard

I'm tested at least once/week for work (film/TV production) and I came down with COVID at Christmas. The production company asked for a copy of my positive test result and said that once I'd completed my isolation period I was cleared to work and they wouldn't be testing me for 3 months (they do PCR tests).

I'm flying to the US next month and I've already got my doctor's note stating that I'm cleared to travel, which I'll use along with the positive test results to bypass pre-flight testing per US and Canadian guidelines.

MSPeconomist

You're very likely to test negative on an antigen (NOT PCR) test, and they're quick and cheap. It might be simpler to just use an antigen test than show documents for an exception.

GUWonder

There are at least three kinds of test results -- that are a product of at least some PCR tests -- which passengers have tried to use at airports: negative, positive, inconclusive. "Inconclusive" shouldn't be accepted for anything except a new test.

dkc71

Timeline (immune compromised person due to surgery)

Dec 24-family came over- person wore mask except to eat. 2 people were unknowingly positive
Dec 26- felt sinus infection type of symptoms
Dec 27 - tested positive at CVS minute clinic - using their rapid tests

Jan 3 - tested positive on home test
Jan 4- 8 tested positive on either PCR tests or rapid tests at minute clinic or home rapid
Jan 9- tested negative on home rapid and nurse given rapid.
Jan 10- tested negative at travel destination rapid