Re:Apparent absence of covid transmission at hair salon with...
by mikepurvis on Wednesday July 15, 2020 @09:39AM
(#23845034)
Given the delay (~48+hrs) associated with getting test results, it should really go the other way— after a known exposure, you are treated as infected, the isolation and contact tracing process begins, and it's only after a negative test result that you're cleared.
Re:Apparent absence of covid transmission at hair salon with...
by zucker42 on Wednesday July 15, 2020 @09:58AM
(#23845281)
That's possible only if your public health system is equipped to force large numbers of people to undergo certain medical procedures. In the U.S. there exists significant opposition to that sort of capability.
Re:Apparent absence of covid transmission at hair salon with...
by rlpb on Wednesday July 15, 2020 @10:09AM
(#23845420)
Could it possibly affect health insurance costs in the future, too? Let's say that it turns out that COVID-19 carries a risk of long term lung damage. In the future a health insurer might start asking applicants if they have ever received a positive test result.
Therefore (for those in countries where this kind of thing is a problem) there is a substantial financial risk to consider too - not just the immediate financial consequences of a possible but relatively short quarantine period.
If you're infected and still asymptomatic, the direct medical consequences to you are going to be the same whether you know your status now or not.
But knowing you're positive obligates you to self-isolate, track down other people you've been with contact, etc. If you don't particularly care to change your lifestyle to protect others, if you don't care that you might kill people with your carelessness, it's beneficial for you not to know.