Trying to figure out PCR timing for coronavirus
So last month I had this weird experience where I wasn’t sure if I should get a PCR test or just wait it out. I had a sore throat and some fatigue, but no fever. At work, a colleague tested positive, so everyone was freaking out.
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I totally get what you mean, the waiting game is confusing and sometimes feels pointless. When my sister got exposed she tested the very next day, came out negative, but then tested again on day five and was positive. The doctor explained that PCR is most reliable a few days after exposure because the virus needs time to multiply enough to be detected. That made sense to me and since then I kind of treat day 5–7 as the sweet spot if you don’t have symptoms yet. If symptoms show up earlier though, I usually don’t wait, I just test right away. I also noticed PCR is much better than antigen tests when you’re at the beginning stage — the antigen ones gave me false negatives twice. Something else that helped me understand the timing better was reading about how viruses replicate in the body, and I randomly stumbled on this page that goes into things like the definition of retrovirus which explained the background of why timing matters. For me, what worked was making a plan: if I’m exposed but feel fine, test on day 5, and if I feel sick, test immediately. That way I don’t sit there panicking every morning. And I’ve also accepted that no test is perfect, so sometimes you just need to combine common sense with the guidelines.