Although in almost 2 years of the pandemic it seemed that we had almost completely mastered the basic information, Ómicron arrived to radically modify some of the bases on which we must treat Covid, which has generated some doubts among the population in recent weeks.
We are experiencing a spike in infections due to this new variant of the coronavirus, which, although it seems less dangerous, is much more contagious due to its high transmissibility.
Given its characteristics, international health regulatory agencies have suggested some changes to treat patients, such as, for example, quarantine times have been reduced, as well as the precise moment for do a Covid test.
The truth is that although with Ómicron the symptoms usually appear sooner, the specialists reiterate that no test is capable of detecting the virus in a too early phase of contagion.
That is why if you have just found out that a family member or friend with whom you have been in contact in the past 48 hours, it is best that you stay home and analyze whether or not you develop any symptoms.
Specialists reiterate that the ideal time to be tested is 4 or 5 days after being exposed to the virus. That is, if you saw the infected person on Saturday or Sunday, use the second day as a reference.
If after that period of time you do not present symptoms, it is advisable to carry out a PCR test, since this is much more sensitive and specific compared to that of antigens. If you do have discomfort over a period of time, the antigen test will be a good option.
If the antigen test is positive, the result will be valid. If it is negative, wait another 48 hours to do it again. If it comes back negative this second time and you don’t have any symptoms, you don’t need to do any more tests.
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