COVID-19: Being positive after 7 days of quarantine

The infectious period of COVID-19 begins 2 to 3 days before symptoms develop and reaches the peak 1 day before the onset of symptoms.

What is the quarantine period for COVID-19 positive cases?

COVID-19 positive cases are required to quarantine for 7 days from the day they are tested positive, regardless of vaccination status.

Find out what you need to know if you are still testing positive for COVID-19 after 7 days of quarantine.

Why are my test results still positive after 7 days of quarantine?

From 1 May 2022, COVID-19 positive cases may be released from quarantine earlier if they test negative on Day 4 through a supervised RTK-Ag test and are symptom-free.

After a person recovers from COVID-19, the test results may be positive as the virus will still be present in the body in lower concentrations for a period of 3 months after illness onset. Replication-competent virus has not been reliably isolated from these patients, and it is highly unlikely they are infectious.

The rt-PCR test is extremely sensitive at detecting the presence of the virus proteins. Hence, the results of COVID-19 rt-PCR tests for many patients who have recovered remained positive for 3 months.

Does a COVID-19 positive patient still have to be isolated from his or her family after 7 days of quarantine?

Continue isolating the patient if there are symptoms such as coughing, flu, fever, and sore throat.

Is it possible if I still remain infectious after 7 days of quarantine?

The infectivity decreases to a very low level after 7 days.

COVID-19 positive cases are allowed to end quarantine earlier if the supervised RTK-Ag test result on Day 4 is negative. The test can be done at the nearest health facility or virtually.

Make an appointment at Pantai Hospital

Please consult your doctor for more information on COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines.

To make an appointment for health screening, please contact the health screening centre at the Pantai Hospital nearest to you.

Pantai Hospitals have been accredited by the Malaysian Society for Quality in Health (MSQH) for its commitment to patient safety and service quality.

References

1. https://covid-19.moh.gov.my/reopeningsafely/semasa/2022/04/prosedur-ujian-dan-pelepasan-untuk-kes-positif-covid-19-mulai-1-mei-2022
2. https://covid-19.moh.gov.my/terkini/062020/situasi-terkini-12-jun-2020/Kenyataan%20Akhbar%20KPK%20COVID-19%20(12%20Jun%202020)%20-%20EN.pdf
3. https://covid-19.moh.gov.my/garis-panduan/garis-panduan-kkm/ANNEX-2-Management-of-Suspected-Probable-and-Confirmed-COVID19-23022022.pdf
4. https://covidprotocol.moh.gov.my/en/kes-positif/