Following quarantine etc. does a positive home test mean I am still contagious?

[Walter Gerstmann]

After having Covid-19 and Paxlovid, and following the 5-day quarantine and 5-day masking, does a positive home test mean I am still contagious?

[Bruce Hawn]

I asked that very question of my pulmonologist and his response was “if you are still testing positive on a home antigen test, then there is enough virus load in your body for you to be contagious”.

[Walter Gerstmann]

Inconsistent Antigen Test results:
I received Quickvue tests from CVS and USPS free tests. On days 24 and 25, I got negative results using the BinaxNow tests. On day 26, I was congested and tested positive with a Quickvue test. On day 27, I did three tests: Quickvue positive, BinaxNow negative, and Quickvue positive. The control strip was present in all tests and within their expiration date. Quickvue seems to be more sensitive than BinaxNow.
I will mask until the end of the flu season and test weekly using Quickvue.

[Stephen B. Strum, MD]

You should presume you have enough of a viral load still present to be a risk for others. So, yes, until you are negative you are contagious.
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