What to do if you test positive for COVID-19
If you have COVID-19, you can spread the virus to others. Regardless of vaccination status, you should isolate from others when you have COVID-19, wear a mask and avoid contact with people who are at high risk of getting very sick.
- Isolate from others for a minimum of five (5) days AND until you are fever free for 24 hours and your symptoms are improving.
- Report your positive test through the COVID-19 reporting form:
- Students should notify their professors that they will be absent from class.
- Faculty and Staff should notify their immediate supervisor.
- Wear your mask though day 10.
- After you have ended isolation, if your COVID-19 symptoms recur or worsen, restart your isolation at day 0. Talk to a healthcare provider if you have questions about your symptoms or when to end isolation.
How to Count Days for Isolation
When you have COVID-19, isolation is counted in days, as follows:
If you had no symptoms:
- Day 0 is the day you were tested (not the day you received your positive test result)
- Day 1 is the first full day following the day you were tested
- If you develop symptoms within 10 days of when you were tested, the clock restarts at day 0 on the day of symptom onset
If you had symptoms:
- Day 0 of isolation is the day of symptom onset, regardless of when you tested positive
- Day 1 is the first full day after the day your symptoms started
- Learn more about what to do if you have COVID-19.
Ending Isolation
- If you had no symptoms, you may end isolation after day 5.If you had symptoms, you may end isolation after day 5 if:
- You are fever-free for 24 hours (without the use of fever-reducing medication) and
- Your symptoms are improving
If you still have fever or your other symptoms have not improved, continue to isolate until they improve.
For additional information on COVID-19, please visit the CDCs COVID-19 Isolation and Precautions for People with COVID-19 page.
Millsaps College’s COVID-19 Archive
