But then the night before his flight back to Canada – on his birthday – his PCR test was positive. “It cost us a lot of money and it made us very stressed,” Ferré told Global News, speaking in French during an interview on Monday. Ferré’s three-day trip in late January had suddenly become an 11-day stay – costing himself and his partner about $ 2,000 in unforeseen hotel bills, food and other expenses.
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The story goes on under the ad It’s a situation that some Canadians find themselves in as travel becomes once again more common. They test positive for COVID, recover from the virus, and weeks later test positive for travel-related PCR. “If you get sick and test positive, it’s probably a reasonable result to say you have COVID and are infected with the virus,” said infectious disease specialist Dr. Gerald Evans. “The problem is that, for some people, this PCR test may actually continue to be positive for quite some time.”
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The culprit behind Ferré’s positive PCR test could be something called an RNA molecule. It is a “very sticky” molecule, according to Evans, and this “hard, sticky molecule” can be hidden in insidious places like your tonsils and throat – only to reappear when a PCR test carefully combs your sample for any indication COVID- 19.
Positive test for old COVID-19 infection
For most people, the RNA molecule is flushed out of the system within about 10 to 14 days. But in some cases, some may still be positive 28 days or more after infection. The story goes on under the ad In “very rare cases”, Evans said he had seen people who, “six weeks or more” after being infected with COVID-19, could “still be positive from a previous infection”. This can be a problem for travelers who, even though they have fully recovered from the COVID-19 infection weeks ago, suddenly find themselves in a mandatory 14-day quarantine. 1:56 Some fully vaccinated travelers still need preliminary examinations Some fully vaccinated travelers still need preliminary examinations – March 17, 2022 It’s something the travel industry is seeing more and more often, according to Will McAleer, executive director of the Travel Health Insurance Association of Canada (THIA). “Several people I know who traveled during this March break have now returned and are being asked – or are being asked – to be quarantined, although they can provide evidence that they were previously positive and have recovered,” McAleer said. . The Canadian government is currently accepting a previous positive molecular test result as an alternative to a negative test. To be eligible to use it, you must have no symptoms of COVID-19 and your test must be between 10 and 180 calendar days. The story goes on under the ad If this receipt is accepted, you will not need to take an arrival test or test on the eighth day of quarantine. Trending Stories
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But this proof must be in the form of a PCR test – it can not be a quick antigen test. PCR testing in Ontario is limited to specific, vulnerable groups at the moment, which means that many Canadians have no way of proving a previous diagnosis of COVID-19 – including Ferré. He and his partner fell ill at the same time. Because of her asthma, she qualified for one of the few PCR tests in Ontario. She was positive for COVID-19 and both had exactly the same symptoms. They both recovered and left negatively before their trip in late January. But when Ferré tested positive before returning home, his partner was the only one with PCR evidence of a previous infection – and they suddenly got stuck. He says he did a quick test the same day. It was negative.
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Before Omicron, the consensus was that re-infections almost never occur within 90 days of your initial infection. However, with the advent of this more contagious variant, there are now reports of people having a confirmed second infection after just 60 days, Evans explained. The story goes on under the ad About three weeks after being infected with COVID-19, Ferré was at that limit – he just had no way of proving it. Without an old PCR test that confirmed his infection, the only way to prove his PCR test positive was a remnant of a previous infection would be to “sequence the entire genome” into the RNA isolated in the PCR test, according to Evans. The government recently announced that no pre-tests will be required from fully vaccinated passengers after 1 April, so Ferré is unlikely to be in this difficult position again. But a PCR test could prove to be a problem if you are not vaccinated, visiting a country with a PCR test requirement – such as Bulgaria, Cyprus or Latvia, to name a few – or if you are randomly selected for a PCR test arriving in Canada.
I recently had COVID. Should I worry about that?
If you’re worried that some sticky RNA is putting a key to your upcoming travel plans, there are a few things you can do to avoid the risk. The story goes on under the ad First, if you are still sick, you can pay out of pocket for a COVID-19 PCR test – as Canada will not accept a quick test to prove you have been infected in the past. “Suppose you came out positive, you are at home and you know you have travel plans. I would highly recommend going for the private PCR test, “said Richard Vanderlubbe, who is president of tripcentral.ca and a member of the board of the Canadian Travel Agencies Association. “When you recover, you have this proof of immunity in case you come out positive later.” That’s what Ferré wished he had done, he told Global News. 3: 26COVID-19: Canada to stop testing for fully vaccinated incoming travelers on April 1 COVID-19: Canada to stop testing for fully vaccinated incoming travelers from April 1 – March 17, 2022 But the cost of confirming your positive rapid test with a PCR test from a private company can be over $ 150 – and that is only if he agrees to see you despite your positive rapid test and any symptoms you may have. The story goes on under the ad Another thing you can do is get insurance. That way, if you pull the trigger and a PCR test picks up this tiny sticky RNA molecule, you will not be stuck with the whole account of a prolonged quarantine stay. “It’s not a significant premium amount to cover a quarantine… because usually what you will see is probably a benefit of $ 250 a day, up to a certain maximum. “It’s not a significant benefit,” said McAleer. “The key is that you want to make sure you are covered if you catch COVID while you are away. A medical emergency could occur there. That could be much more expensive. “
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Before you cash in on a costly PCR test or premium, you may also want to look at the entry requirements for the country you plan to visit. If they do not require a negative PCR test or accept a rapid test as an alternative – which does not seek out this sticky RNA – you may be concerned about a non-problem. In addition, epidemiologists believe that this issue is “rare”. “We do not know exactly how rare it is, because we do not do systematic tests after COVID infection to prove that they are negative, because the hypothesis is – and I think it is a very reasonable hypothesis – that once your symptoms are over and enough time has passed. “It is very unlikely that you will still be contagious,” said Dr. Christopher Lambos, a cardiologist and epidemiologist in Montreal. The story goes on under the ad “It probably happens very, very rarely, but cases where this happens have been documented.” At the end of the day, traveling during the pandemic — even at this stage — is still dangerous. But it’s up to you if you want to play in it. “This transition period is really, really challenging,” Evans said. “You just have to be careful and roll the dice. “I think all the chances are in your favor if you are traveling right now.” © 2022 Global News, part of Corus Entertainment Inc.
