Contact Tracing
Positive Cases
You have received a positive test result for COVID-19. Here's what to do next.
While you are waiting for Public Health to get in touch with you, there are a few steps you can take in advance:
Stay at home. It is important that you stay home behind closed doors while you are positive. Even if you don't feel sick, you can still expose others around you. If you live with other people, minimize your contact with them as best as you can.
Know that isolation typically lasts for 10 days starting from the start of your symptoms (or from your test date if you are asymptomatic) and you can be released from isolation after 10 days if your symptoms are resolving and you haven't had a fever for at least 24 hours without using fever-reducing medications. When Public Health contacts you, you will begiven a clearance letter, showing the date you can discontinue isolation and
resume normal activities.
Think about where you might have picked up the virus. Go back two weeks from
when your symptoms first started (or from your test date if you are asymptomatic).
Were you in contact with a positive case? Did you have contact with someone who
was sick? Did you travel out of the area? Did you attend any gatherings,
like a birthday party, wedding, funeral, religious service, or family
get-together.
Think about who you might have exposed. Go back 48 hours from when
your symptoms started (or from when you tested if you are asymptomatic).
Who did you have close contact with? Close contact is usually anyone you were
with for longer than 10 minutes while within 6 feet of them. (Also, contact can also
be cumulative. So if you were in short contact with a person multiple times a day,
it would count as a close contact.) Was anyone wearing a face covering? Was
it inside or outside? What were you doing?
Make a list of the people you had close contact with during those 2 days.
- Write down when you had contact with each of them.
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Write down the phone number for each of the contacts.
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Feel free to call your close contacts to let them know you have tested positive.
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You can use this worksheet to help you out.
Think about if you or anyone in your household is at high risk of developing serious illness from COVID-19. You may consider isolating away from those who are vulnerable.
If you need to see a doctor or call emergency medical services during your isolation, please let them know you are a positive case of COVID-19 if possible.
Please wait patiently for Public Health to contact you. We have a large caseload that has overwhelmed our public health system and a case investigator will contact you as soon as possible. Please do not go to work if you are positive. If your employer is forcing you to work while you are positive or has told you that you will lose your job if you do not come to work, please let us know ASAP at 707-464-0861
