Having a hard time keeping the latest COVID recommendations straight? We have answers
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I know there's a lot of information out there about COVID-19 as well as rules and advice that have changed along the way. I've compiled an assortment of frequently asked questions that may be helpful.
Many answers are from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html.
Things could certainly continue evolving, so here are answers as of Jan. 28, 2022:
Where can I get the COVID-19 shot or booster?
Vaccines remain the best protection against COVID-19, experts say. The two-dose Pfizer shot is approved for ages 5 and older and the two-dose Moderna and one-dose Johnson & Johnson are approved for ages 18 and older. A booster shot is recommended two months after the J&J vaccine and five months after the second dose for Moderna and Pfizer vaccines.
You can schedule shots via the state of Ohio’s site or by calling retail pharmacies and medical providers: https://gettheshot.coronavirus.ohio.gov/.
Summit County Public Health also offers shots by appointments on weekdays. Go to www.scph.org/covid/vaccine or call 330-926-5795.
How soon after I’ve had COVID-19 can I get the vaccine — either the initial dose or booster?
You can get your vaccine or booster as soon as you are out of isolation and recovered from the virus. If you have had monoclonal antibody treatment, you should wait 90 days. If you are unsure, talk to your medical provider.
I had COVID. Aren’t my natural immunities enough?
Getting sick with COVID-19 offers some protection from future illness with COVID-19, sometimes called “natural immunity.” However, the level of protection and length of the antibodies will vary, so the CDC still recommends that vaccination is the best way to protect against future infection or to avoid serious illness.
What are the new isolation rules?
The CDC in late December shortened the recommended isolation and quarantine rules for people who test positive for COVID.
If you have symptoms and test positive:
You can end isolation after five full days if you are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication and if your other symptoms have improved. (Loss of taste and smell may persist for weeks or months after recovery and need not delay the end of isolation.)
You should continue to wear a well-fitting mask around others at home and in public for five additional days (Day 6 through Day 10) after the end of your five-day isolation period. If you are unable to wear a mask when around others, you should continue to isolate for a full 10 days.
If you continue to have a fever or your other symptoms have not improved after five days of isolation, you should wait to end your isolation until you are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication and your other symptoms have improved. Continue to wear a well-fitting mask. Contact your health care provider if you have questions.
If you do not have symptoms and test positive:
Isolate for at least five days. Day 0 is the day of your positive test. You should continue to wear a mask until Day 10 at home and in public.
If you develop symptoms after testing positive, your five-day isolation period should start over. Day 0 is your first day of symptoms.
What should you do when you are caring for someone with COVID?
If possible, have the COVID-positive person stay in his or her own bedroom and bathroom. The person should wear a mask when leaving the room or when around any other people in the house.
Caregivers should wear a mask when interacting with the person and should watch for any symptoms of COVID themselves. Caregivers can leave their home five days after their last close contact with the person who is sick or five days after the person who is sick meets the criteria to end home isolation.
Where can I get at-home tests?
Tests are no longer available at local public health departments and libraries. Those supplies have been sent to schools and colleges. Every U.S. residence can get four free at-home tests from the federal government via the mail. Go to www.covidtests.gov or call 800-232-0233. The tests began shipping last week.
More: How do you get free COVID tests from the government? You can order online or with new hotline.
As of Jan. 15, those with insurance can also get reimbursed for buying up to eight tests per month per individual on your plan. Check with your insurer for details.
How do I take an at-home test?
The at-home tests have instructions and can be proctored or guided for free. The CDC also has instructions at www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/testing/self-testing.html.
More: Betty Lin-Fisher: Free at-home COVID test offers peace of mind when in doubt about virus
Should I swab my throat or nose?
The current at-home tests are designed for collection samples in your nose only.
Do at-home tests really expire?
It depends. The Food and Drug Administration has been giving extensions to some manufacturers. For instance, the Binax Now at-home test, which was the brand distributed for free throughout Ohio, including through the Summit County health department and the Akron-Summit Public Library, recently received approval to extend its expiration date by three months. You can Google the brand to see if it has also received an extension.
How long can a positive result show up after COVID?
It is possible for a person to continue to test positive for COVID for days or months after a resolved infection. The CDC does not require testing after the recommended five days of isolation, but if you do test, the CDC recommends an antigen test (the at-home tests are antigen tests). If your results are still positive, the CDC says you should continue to isolate until Day 10.
I’ve heard I should ditch my cloth mask. Is this true?
The CDC earlier this month updated guidance that N95 or KN95 masks and surgical masks may provide better protection with the more contagious omicron variant. If you’d like to continue to wear cloth masks, the CDC suggests wearing a cloth mask over a surgical mask.
What should I do with the cloth masks I can’t use anymore?
I wrote a column early in the pandemic when a lot of people were sewing fabric masks wondering how to keep fabric scraps out of the landfills. Goodwill does not take any fabric that is smaller than 12-by-12-inch squares for its salvage program. For communities that still have Simple Recycling pickup, I was told scrap fabric isn’t accepted. Some readers suggested donating to a local quilting club for quilts or stuffing in dog beds or composting smaller scraps of fabric, if the fabric is not man-made, like cotton. Or you might just want to hold on to them a little longer and wear them with the surgical mask.
More: Betty Lin-Fisher: Some more recycling tips
Can I get the flu shot and COVID vaccine at the same time?
You can get a COVID-19 vaccine and other vaccines, including a flu vaccine, at the same visit. According to the CDC, “experience with other vaccines has shown that the way our bodies develop protection, known as an immune response, and possible side effects after getting vaccinated are generally the same when given alone or with other vaccines.”
How long can the loss of taste or smell persist?
The CDC said it could persist for weeks or months after recovery.
I’ve heard lymph nodes can swell up from the COVID-19 vaccine. Is this true?
Yes, it is possible that your lymph nodes in the underarm near where you got your shot could swell after the vaccine. The CDC said some experts suggest waiting six weeks after getting your shot to schedule a mammogram because it could cause a false reading.
I lost my COVID vaccination card. How do I get a new one?
The CDC recommends contacting the provider where you got your vaccine first or your local health department. In Summit County, you can also request an updated COVID vaccine record by going to www.scph.org/covid/vaccine or calling 330-926-5795. However, you will not get a new white card, but a piece of paper showing your vaccination record.
How can I get the recently approved at-home COVID oral pills?
The FDA approved two oral pills to treat COVID-19 in late December, but supplies are limited. Some hospitals in Ohio have received limited supplies and you may be able to ask your primary care physician for a prescription, but the pills are meant for high-risk patients and need to be taken within five days of symptom onset. Also, they may be hard to get.
Beacon Journal staff reporter Betty Lin-Fisher can be reached at 330-996-3724 or blinfisher@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow her @blinfisherABJ on Twitter or www.facebook.com/BettyLinFisherABJ. To see her most recent stories and columns, go to www.tinyurl.com/bettylinfisher.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Betty lin-Fisher: Have questions about Covid? Here's an FAQ
