A negative Covid test is not a guarantee

A negative Covid test is not a guarantee
If you have been in contact with someone who has tested positive, you need to quarantine for 14 days despite subsequently testing negative yourself
Dr Marnar Fríðheim Kristiansen explains how people should respond to testing negative for Covid-19
 
08.08.2020 - 07:34

If you test positive for Covid-19, there isn’t much doubt that you have contracted the virus.

But in the current situation, things are bit more complicated regarding negative tests.

“Even the most reliable swab tests are only 70-80 percent accurate, which means that, in principle, 20-30 percent of people who have tested negative could in fact be positive,” explains doctor Marnar Fríðheim Kristiansen.

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“Keeping this in mind, it is crucial that if you have been in contact with someone who has tested positive, you go into quarantine for 14 days after this contact, regardless of your own test result – and this also applies if you take a follow-up test a week after the contact and it also comes out negative.”

If there is sufficient space in your home to separate yourself from the rest of your household, you should do so, and then the people you live with can go about their daily lives, provided that you have not been in contact with them after your contact with the infected person.

If the physical layout of your home does not allow for this (i.e. no separate room and no separate toilet), the entire household should stay within the property and not go out for the next 14 days, explains Kristiansen.

Another option is to contact the health authorities through the Corona helpline (phone number 304040) and book a hotel room for yourself and any members of your household that you have been in contact with since your contact with the infected person.

For more information about Covid-19 in the Faroes, visit corona.fo.

 

Translated by prosa.fo

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