Can you let yourself go after the test turns negative? Experts urgently remind →

What does it mean to recover from COVID-19? Can you really let yourself go after you recover?

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A Beijing News Radio reporter interviewed Li Dongzeng, chief physician of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Beijing You'an Hospital affiliated to Capital Medical University.

Q: What does it take to be considered recovered after being infected with the new coronavirus?

A: Recovery actually depends on two indicators. One is whether the symptoms you feel have disappeared. For example, for mild cases, we look at the body temperature and respiratory symptoms. If the body temperature is normal for more than three days and the respiratory symptoms have improved significantly, we say that the body has recovered. The other is for ordinary or more serious cases, for those with pneumonia on CT scan, we also need to recheck the CT scan. If the pneumonia is also obviously absorbed, it means that the patient has entered the recovery stage.

If we want to lift the quarantine and go to work or school, we still need to look at the test data. Our current ninth edition of the diagnosis and treatment plan is that two nucleic acid tests are negative 24 hours apart, or the CT value is greater than 35%, which is considered non-infectious and can be lifted from quarantine. If it is not convenient for us to do nucleic acid tests now, I suggest that we can do three antigen tests for three consecutive days. If the symptoms are gone and the antigen is negative for three consecutive days, it can also be considered non-infectious and the body has recovered.

I would also like to remind everyone that your body may feel tired in the first one to two weeks of recovery, so do not do strenuous exercise. Work within your ability and proceed step by step instead of rushing into anything.

Question: How do I disinfect my home after recovering from COVID-19?

A: First of all, do not overdo the disinfection. The virus can only replicate in the human body. At room temperature, the virus will lose its activity after two to three hours away from the human body and is not contagious. In corners with poor ventilation, such as humid bathrooms, the virus will survive longer, so you should pay attention to disinfection. The best way is to open the windows for ventilation, which is the most economical and affordable. We open the windows two or three times a day, each time for 15 minutes to half an hour, and the effect is very good. For relatively humid and closed environments, we can use chlorine-containing disinfectants and 75% alcohol to wipe. Try to wipe instead of spraying, because the effect of spraying is not as good as wiping. For example, frequently touched mobile phones, computers, door handles, various switches, toilets, etc. can be wiped with alcohol. Tableware and cups may have respiratory secretions from infected people, which can be steamed at high temperature. Clothes can be dried after normal washing, and there will be no virus.

We would like to remind everyone that chlorine-containing disinfectants should be wiped off with clean water half an hour after use, otherwise it will irritate the skin. People with children or chronic respiratory diseases at home should try to avoid spraying disinfectants. Alcohol should not be sprayed. If it is in a closed and poorly ventilated place, the high concentration may cause combustion or even explosion when it encounters a spark. We also remind everyone to try not to store a large amount of alcohol at home, and do not use alcohol to wipe the floor, as these are all risky.

Q: After recovering from COVID-19, can I be infected again? Do I still need to wear a mask?

Answer: Over the past three years, we have indeed found that some people tested positive for nucleic acid again after being released from quarantine, or tested positive again after the antigen turned negative. It is generally believed that these are some fragments remaining in the body. They are not contagious and have no pathogenicity. From three years of observation, after the quarantine was lifted, no relapsed people were found to infect people around them, nor were symptoms found to recur.

Regarding the issue of secondary infection, we have repeatedly said that the Omicron strain has a strong immune escape ability. Even if you have been vaccinated or infected with the new coronavirus and have produced antibodies, when the virus mutates, it can still escape the defense function of our antibodies and infect twice or even three times. In Europe and the United States, which have already been released in advance, we have seen that many people who were infected with the original strain, the alpha strain, and the delta strain in the past two years are indeed prone to secondary infection when facing Omicron. In 2022, Omicron has repeatedly mutated, and hundreds of A branches have appeared, but after all, they are all close relatives. If you are infected with Omicron, our antibody levels are relatively high in the short term, and they are still protective against these variants with less obvious mutations. It is generally believed that it is unlikely to be infected again within 3 to 6 months.

Therefore, if a family is infected with the same strain, the person who tests negative first will not be infected again if he or she takes care of the sick family member.

Of course, another factor is the virus mutation. If the virus mutates and is quite different from the original one, then everyone’s antibody protection may decrease and the risk of secondary infection will increase.

So from this point of view, we still need to maintain the good hygiene habits we have developed in the past three years, such as wearing masks, washing hands frequently, opening windows for ventilation, and paying attention to social distance. Wearing masks is not only the most effective means to fight the new coronavirus, but also other respiratory infections in winter and spring, and we need to persist.

The good news here is that, based on experience abroad, people who are infected a second time usually have milder symptoms and recover faster. If we have been vaccinated before and are infected this time, the risk of a second infection will be low. If we are infected this time and get another shot of the vaccine six months later, the risk of a second infection will be low. If we are infected this time and get another shot of the vaccine six months later, the risk of a second infection will be even lower.

Q: Does a negative antigen test mean recovery? When can I return to work? Can I resume exercise as soon as possible after recovery?

After being infected with COVID-19, how to judge whether you have recovered? Li Dongzeng gave two criteria: whether the symptoms you feel have been alleviated, and whether the test results have turned negative. If the body temperature of a mild patient is normal for more than three days and the respiratory symptoms have improved, it means that the body has recovered; if it is a common type or a more serious condition, a chest CT scan needs to be repeated. In terms of testing, if nucleic acid testing can be performed, and the results of two nucleic acid tests are negative, and the interval is 24 hours, it can be considered non-infectious; if it is not convenient to perform nucleic acid testing, Li Dongzeng suggested that antigen testing can be carried out for three consecutive days. If both are negative, it can also be considered non-infectious.

It should be noted that within one or two weeks after recovery, the patient may still feel fatigued easily. At this time, in daily work and some physical activities, it is necessary to pay attention to gradual progress and do what one can do. Do not overwork, otherwise it will slow down the body's recovery.

Source: Beijing News Radio, Beijing Daily Client