Testing for asymptomatic people
You may have seen the CDC guidance stating that
if you’ve been in close contact with someone who tested positive with
COVID-19 and you’re not experiencing symptoms yourself, that you don’t
necessarily need to be tested. Alaska’s current testing guidance won’t
change and DHSS continues to recommend testing for all individuals who
have been identified as close contacts to individuals who have tested
positive for COVID-19.
"We still recommend that asymptomatic people who
were in close contact to an infected person get tested during their
quarantine period. For people who were put into quarantine promptly
after their exposure, we recommend testing during the second week of
their 14-day quarantine period. However, for people who were exposed a
week or more before they were put into quarantine, it would be
appropriate to get tested right away,” says DHSS Chief Epidemiologist
Dr. Joe McLaughlin. “The main problem we want to avoid is asymptomatic
people getting tested too early
after their exposure to decrease the likelihood of a false-negative
test for those who are infected with the virus that causes COVID-19.”
Testing asymptomatic people during their
quarantine period helps to identify those who are infected with the
virus, their need to be in isolation, and the need to notify and
quarantine their close contacts.
It is also important that people remain in
quarantine for the full 14 days even if they test negative at some point
during the quarantine period. A negative test does not shorten
quarantine but helps determine who else may have been exposed to the
virus.
Lastly, anyone who does develop symptoms of COVID-19 should be tested as soon as possible.