COVID-19 Positive Test and Negative Test

• Your local Health Department may be in contact, as they are tracking all POSITIVE patients.
• Isolate your child and the rest of household members and limit your child’s contact with others.
• Current CDC guidelines state that:
  • Your child should be home and stay inside your home until your local public health department tells you otherwise. If you do not hear from the public health department, your child should remain at home until ALL of the following have occurred:
    • it has been at least 10 days since symptoms started AND
    • your child has no fever for at least 24 hours without fever reducing medicine AND
    • your child’s symptoms are improving.
• As much as possible, your child should stay in a specific room and away from other people in your home.
• Your child should use a separate bathroom if possible. People who do not have a need to be in your home should not visit.
• Homes that have multigenerational families (grandparents or other older adults living with the child and the child’s parents) or people with chronic illnesses should be extra cautious about exposure. Masking and isolating higher risk individuals is recommended.
• Try to let your child stay in places in the home that have good airflow. Allow getting fresh air when possible.
• Remind your child that it is very important to cover their mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing.
• After coughing or sneezing or cleaning up used tissues, immediately wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
• If soap and water are not available, clean hands with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.
• Remind your child to clean their hands often.
• Avoid the child sharing personal household items such as dishes, drinking glasses, cups, eating utensils, towels, or bedding with other people or pets in your home. After your child uses these items, they should be washed with soap and water.
• Clean all high-touch surfaces (tabletops, doorknobs, bathroom fixtures, toilets, phones, keyboards, tablets, and bedside tables) every day with antibacterial cleaning solutions such as Lysol wipes, bleach, cleansers, etc. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for your cleaning products. Different products require different contact times to be effective and some may require you to use gloves.
• Immediately clean any surfaces that may have the child’s blood, stool, or body fluids like tears, drool, urine, sweat, and mucous on them. Use antibacterial cleaning solutions such as Lysol wipes, bleach, cleansers, etc.
• Wash laundry thoroughly. Immediately remove and wash clothes or bedding that have blood, stool, or body fluids on them. Read and follow directions on labels of laundry detergent and/or clothing items.
• If possible, wear gloves when handling laundry from your child. If gloves are not available, thoroughly wash your hands for 20 seconds using soap and water after touching their laundry.
• Launder items as appropriate in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. If possible, launder items using the warmest appropriate water setting for the items and dry items completely. Dirty laundry from an ill person can be washed with other people’s items.
• Clean and disinfect clothes hampers according to guidance above for surfaces. If possible, consider placing a bag liner that is either disposable (can be thrown away) or can be laundered.
• If they are old enough (over 2 years old) have them wear a mask whenever they leave their room.

• Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for 20 seconds or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.
• Avoid touching your face.
• Do not permit visitors who do not have an essential need to be in your home.
• Mask when caring for your child and, if they are over two and can take their masks off, have the child mask as well.
• If your child is in diapers, consider wearing gloves when changing their diaper.
• Household members caring for a COVID-19 positive patient are recommended to isolate at home for 14 days. If symptoms develop, testing for COVID-19 should be considered.

The CDC recommends home isolation for 14 days after exposure as that is the time when people develop symptoms. Once a result is known, home isolation is recommended for 10 days from the onset of symptoms so long as they have not had a fever for at least 24 hours without fever reducing medicine AND their symptoms are improving.

Unless otherwise told by a public health department, current CDC guidelines recommend that your child should be kept at home for 10 days from the onset of symptoms AND they have not had a fever for at least 24 hours without fever reducing medicine AND their symptoms are improving.

Your school district and/or public health department will give you guidance on return to school criteria. Usually, the child cannot go back to school until a minimum of 10 days after symptoms began, in accordance with CDC guidelines as described here.

Public health departments set the rules for when students can return to school. Your child’s school will use these rules and the information from your provider to decide when someone with a negative test can go back to school. In general, patients that have a negative test and are fever free for at least 24 hours without fever reducing medications will be able to go back to school. However, some exceptions may occur and you should follow the guidance from your child’s school.

Like other medical tests, COVID-19 tests are not 100% accurate all of the time. Many variables can create what is called a “false negative” test. Based on a child’s symptoms and current illness, the health care provider may be able to determine if the test result should be considered accurate or if further precautions or testing are necessary. Also, a negative test only indicates that COVID-19 was not detected at the time of the test. If a child develops new or continued symptoms following a negative test, another test may be needed and you should inform your provider of these changes.