Key TakeawaysIf you get COVID-19, you may continue to test positive even after you’re feeling better. Some people who recover from COVID may test positive for weeks or even months after they were sick.Getting a positive test result soon again after you had COVID could mean your body is still fighting off the virus, there’s some leftover RNA from the virus, or you’ve caught the virus again. You won’t be able to know for sure whether you’re still contagious, so taking precautions to protect others is important.How long you keep getting a positive COVID test result can also depend on which test you took. For example, a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test is more sensitive than the rapid antigen tests you can do at home.

Key Takeaways

If you get COVID-19, you may continue to test positive even after you’re feeling better. Some people who recover from COVID may test positive for weeks or even months after they were sick.Getting a positive test result soon again after you had COVID could mean your body is still fighting off the virus, there’s some leftover RNA from the virus, or you’ve caught the virus again. You won’t be able to know for sure whether you’re still contagious, so taking precautions to protect others is important.How long you keep getting a positive COVID test result can also depend on which test you took. For example, a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test is more sensitive than the rapid antigen tests you can do at home.

You tested positive for COVID-19. You isolated yourself for the recommended amount of time. But you’re still testing positive. What now?

How long you test positive for COVID depends on several factors, experts say, and it’s not always synonymous with how long you’re contagious. The biggest determining factor is whether you use a rapid test or a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test.

Either test will give you a positive or negative result, but they differ in how likely they are to correctly show that you really have COVID. This is called a test’s sensitivity. A test with high sensitivity is less likely to produce a false negative result.

“A positive test can be short-lived or can persist for months,“Robert Amler, MD, dean of the School of Health Sciences and Practice at the New York Medical College in Valhalla, New York, told Verywell via email. “Different types of tests may or may not be persistently positive.”

The FDA Wants You to Take More than One At-Home COVID Test

Why You’re Still Testing Positive for COVID

People who have weak immune systems may take longer to clear the virus from their bodies, which could lead to a lingering positive test.

It’s important to know that getting vaccinated will not make you test positive. PCR tests and rapid tests look to see if you have an active COVID infection.

What’s the Most Accurate At-Home COVID Test?

Are You Still Contagious If You’re Testing Positive?

A positive PCR test does not always mean you’re still capable of spreading the virus. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), most people are not going to continue to spread COVID after about day 10.

Gigi Gronvall, PhD, senior scholar at the Center for Health Security at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, told Verywell that since the viral RNA can hang around, the CDC recommends people do not get PCR tests for 90 days after they got a positive result (if they need to test, they can use rapid tests instead).

The problem is you can’t know for surewhyyou’re still testing positive for COVID. That means you can’t know for sure that you’re not still capable of infecting others. Taking precautions until you test negative is important, especially if you’re around people who are at high risk.

When Are You Most Likely to Spread COVID?

When to Retest

If you have gotten a positive result on a test, you don’tneed to keep testing. The CDC recommends that you isolate at home until you’ve been fever-free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medication and your symptoms are improving. After this isolation period, it’s encouraged that you take additional precautions for five days, such as wearing a mask, keeping a distance from others, and washing your hands often.

If you test negative after you have been exposed to someone with the virus or if you have symptoms, you may need to test again in a day or so. It can take time for the virus to build up to levels that the rapid tests can pick up.

“You want to test on day three and five or day four and day six after exposure, just to make sure you are negative,” Wells said.

You also may need to retest with a rapid test before certain activities, like traveling, if you had COVID within the past couple of months. Check the requirements of the places you’ll be visiting to make sure you know what they need.

While it’s a bit less likely to be the case, think about whether it’s possible that you may have caught COVID again. A positive test could be a sign of a new infection, not leftovers from your old one.

It’s important to remember that while COVID vaccines can help protect you from serious illness, they may not significantly reduce your risk of catching COVID. Regardless of your vaccination status, you should get tested if you’ve been exposed to someone with COVID and/or you have symptoms.

What This Means For YouYou may keep testing positive for some time after you’ve had COVID. However, retesting is not necessary. To reduce the chances of spreading COVID, the CDC recommends that you:Isolate at home until you’ve been fever-free for 24 hours (without taking fever-reducing medication) AND your symptoms are mild and improving.Take additional precautions for five days following isolation, such as wearing a well-fitting mask, keeping a distance from others, and washing your hands often.

What This Means For You

You may keep testing positive for some time after you’ve had COVID. However, retesting is not necessary. To reduce the chances of spreading COVID, the CDC recommends that you:Isolate at home until you’ve been fever-free for 24 hours (without taking fever-reducing medication) AND your symptoms are mild and improving.Take additional precautions for five days following isolation, such as wearing a well-fitting mask, keeping a distance from others, and washing your hands often.

You may keep testing positive for some time after you’ve had COVID. However, retesting is not necessary. To reduce the chances of spreading COVID, the CDC recommends that you:

The information in this article is current as of the date listed, which means newer information may be available when you read this. For the most recent updates on COVID-19, visit our coronavirus news page.

6 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Maxim LD, Niebo R, Utell MJ.Screening tests: a review with examples.Inhal Toxicol. 2014;26(13):811–828. doi:10.3109/08958378.2014.955932Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.COVID-19: Clinical presentation.Ren X, Ren X, Lou J, et al.A systematic review and meta-analysis of discharged COVID-19 patients retesting positive for RT-PCR.EClinicalMedicine. 2021;34:100839. doi:10.1016/j.eclinm.2021.100839Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Respiratory virus guidance update FAQs.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.COVID-19 testing: what you need to know.Ko L, Malet G, Chang LL, Nguyen H, Mayes R.COVID-19 infection rates in vaccinated and unvaccinated inmates: a retrospective cohort study.Cureus. 2023;15(9): e44684 doi:10.7759/cureus.44684

6 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Maxim LD, Niebo R, Utell MJ.Screening tests: a review with examples.Inhal Toxicol. 2014;26(13):811–828. doi:10.3109/08958378.2014.955932Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.COVID-19: Clinical presentation.Ren X, Ren X, Lou J, et al.A systematic review and meta-analysis of discharged COVID-19 patients retesting positive for RT-PCR.EClinicalMedicine. 2021;34:100839. doi:10.1016/j.eclinm.2021.100839Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Respiratory virus guidance update FAQs.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.COVID-19 testing: what you need to know.Ko L, Malet G, Chang LL, Nguyen H, Mayes R.COVID-19 infection rates in vaccinated and unvaccinated inmates: a retrospective cohort study.Cureus. 2023;15(9): e44684 doi:10.7759/cureus.44684

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Maxim LD, Niebo R, Utell MJ.Screening tests: a review with examples.Inhal Toxicol. 2014;26(13):811–828. doi:10.3109/08958378.2014.955932Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.COVID-19: Clinical presentation.Ren X, Ren X, Lou J, et al.A systematic review and meta-analysis of discharged COVID-19 patients retesting positive for RT-PCR.EClinicalMedicine. 2021;34:100839. doi:10.1016/j.eclinm.2021.100839Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Respiratory virus guidance update FAQs.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.COVID-19 testing: what you need to know.Ko L, Malet G, Chang LL, Nguyen H, Mayes R.COVID-19 infection rates in vaccinated and unvaccinated inmates: a retrospective cohort study.Cureus. 2023;15(9): e44684 doi:10.7759/cureus.44684

Maxim LD, Niebo R, Utell MJ.Screening tests: a review with examples.Inhal Toxicol. 2014;26(13):811–828. doi:10.3109/08958378.2014.955932

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.COVID-19: Clinical presentation.

Ren X, Ren X, Lou J, et al.A systematic review and meta-analysis of discharged COVID-19 patients retesting positive for RT-PCR.EClinicalMedicine. 2021;34:100839. doi:10.1016/j.eclinm.2021.100839

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Respiratory virus guidance update FAQs.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.COVID-19 testing: what you need to know.

Ko L, Malet G, Chang LL, Nguyen H, Mayes R.COVID-19 infection rates in vaccinated and unvaccinated inmates: a retrospective cohort study.Cureus. 2023;15(9): e44684 doi:10.7759/cureus.44684

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