I got myself into a stressful spot last autumn after visiting my aunt. Two days later she called to tell me her neighbor, who was also at the dinner, tested positive. At that moment I wasn’t sure if I should go to a clinic right away or wait a few days.
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I’ve been through almost the same thing and it was honestly a lesson in patience. Earlier this year I went to a wedding, came back home, and within a day people started messaging in the group chat about feeling sick. I had no symptoms, but the anxiety was unreal because I live with two housemates. One of them insisted we all get tested immediately, but I had already read that PCR accuracy depends on viral replication. So I stayed in my room and waited until day four before booking mine. Sure enough, I tested positive while my roommate who went on day one got a negative. He relaxed, went grocery shopping, and then two days later got a fever and tested positive the second time. It was messy and avoidable if we had understood timing better. I know it feels strange to wait when you’re worried, but PCRs are most useful when your body has had time to build enough viral load to detect. When I was researching, I ended up stumbling upon the definition of retrovirus and that helped me understand why the replication window is so important for catching an infection at the right time. Since then, I’ve made a little rule for myself: if I’ve been exposed, I wait around three to five days before testing unless symptoms hit me hard earlier. During that waiting period, I isolate, wear a mask in shared spaces, and keep windows open. It’s not perfect, but it lowers the chance of misleading results and keeps everyone calmer at home.