The Covid is still circulating in France. Your test is positive? Isolation, work stoppage, recovery… Reminder of the rules in force today for positive cases.
The Covid-19 virus is so contagious that waves of positive cases follow one another. The 9th ended in December 2022 but the virus continues to circulate in 2023.
What rules in 2023 if you are positive for Covid?
A Covid-positive person must self-isolate for:
- 7 days if vaccinated (5 days if she repeats a test that is negative at the end of this period)
- 10 days if not vaccinated (7 days if she repeats a test that is negative at the end of this period)
- Children under 12 positive at Covid must self-isolate for 7 days but can reduce their self-isolation to 5 days if they have a negative antigen or PCR test and have been free of Covid symptoms for 48 hours.
- Isolation Output: respect for barrier gestures (wearing a mask and hygiene measures) must be respected for 7 days following the release of the positive case from isolation.
If symptoms persist at the end of isolation, contact your attending physician. You have to stay at least 48 hours longer in isolation. The doctor can extend your work stoppage if necessary. In the event of difficulty breathing, call 15 (or 114 for people who are deaf or hard of hearing). A Covid-positive person must always list your contacts on Ameli and warn them so that he get tested for 2 days after their last contact.
Why are you still positive for Covid?
As Dr Thierry Prazuck reminds us, “csome people do not always respond well to the vaccine and do not develop enough antibodies“. About 6 months after the last injection, the number of antibodies decreases drastically. “That’s why we strongly recommend that people take a booster dose.” defends the head of the infectious diseases department at the Orleans hospital. But even with a booster dose, or even two or three, the virus can still contaminate, most likely because it mutates as seen with the Omicron BA2, BA5, BQ 1.1 variant… and the waves that don’t stop.
How long are you contagious?
According to studies conducted since the release of the Omicron variant, we would be contagious approximately a week when we have the Covid but this duration varies according to the individual recalled the president of Covars Brigitte Autran in October 2022 on France Inter: “The viral load varies enormously depending on the severity of the disease and the symptomatology. We do not excrete the same quantities of virus if we have a virus that infects the nose rather than the throat. Of course there is a proportionality between the number of viral particles that we produce and the number of contaminations what we might do.”
When to redo a 2nd test?
According to the protocol in force, positive people can redo a second test to shorten their isolation if it is negative (otherwise the isolation must be continued until the end):
- after 5 days if they have a complete vaccination schedule (2 doses + 1 booster (having had covid can replace the 1st or 2nd dose of the initial scheme)
- after 7 days if not vaccinated against the Covid or not completely (without reminder).
Covid-positive children under 12 must self-isolate for 7 days but can reduce their self-isolation to 5 days if they have a negative antigen or PCR test and have been free of Covid symptoms for 48 hours. In all cases, respect for barrier gestures (wearing a mask and hygiene measures) must be respected for 7 days following the release of the positive case from isolation.
What to do if you are positive for Covid and not vaccinated?
When you are positive for Covid and not vaccinated, isolation is longer: 10 days or 7 days if a test is repeated which is negative at the end of this period.
Can I work if I am Covid positive?
The instructions that apply to work are the same as elsewhere:
- A vaccinated Covid-positive employee must isolate themselves for 7 days but can reduce their isolation to 5 days if they have a negative antigen or PCR test and if they have not had any Covid symptoms for 48 hours.
- A Covid-positive employee who has not been vaccinated against Covid must isolate themselves for 10 days but can reduce their isolation to 7 days if they have a negative antigen or PCR test and if they have had no Covid symptoms for 48 hours.
It is possible to telework during isolation if you are positive for Covid, if you wish and in agreement with the employer.
Can we have a work stoppage if we are positive for Covid?
Yes a Covid positive person can benefit from a work stoppage if she cannot telecommute or, if she can, but her state of health does not allow her to do so. The duration of this work stoppage depends on the duration of its isolation (10 days if you are not vaccinated or 7 days if you are vaccinated).
If your state of health requires a longer work stoppage, you must consult your doctor so that he can assess the need and prescribe the extension of this work stoppage. To request a work stoppage, go to Ameli.fr.
Thanks to Dr Thierry Prazuck, infectiologist and head of the infectious diseases department at Orléans Hospital. Interviewed in November 2021.