GREEN BAY (NBC 26) -- If you're experiencing coronavirus symptoms at all, Dr. Rachael Vanden Langenberg from Bellin Health says you should be tested as soon as possible.
“If they're not symptomatic, then we'd like them to wait about a week,” said Dr. Vanden Langenberg.
If you had close contact exposure with a known positive, it could take 2-14 days for symptoms to appear, so Dr. Vanden Langenberg recommends taking a test in one week.
“A lot of times in that first week after exposure, you may still test negative if you don't have symptoms, but you could end up being positive,” Dr. Vanden Langenberg says.
While you can have both the flu and COVID-19 at the same time, coronavirus testing is specific to the COVID-19 infection and does not appear positive if you have a similar feeling influenza.
“There's no cross reactivity that I’m aware of between COVID infection and influenza infection,” Dr. Vanden Langenberg said. “The antibodies produced by them are completely different.”
So, when you get a positive coronavirus test back...
“They should actually be isolating away while they're waiting for that test result,” Dr. Vanden Langenberg said. “But then definitely once they have that test result, we want them isolating themselves preferably away from anyone else.”
Away from family or roommates as much as possible, for at least 10 days and until you are fever free for 24 hours.