When your antigen home test or rapid test is positive, it is highly likely that you are infected with SARS-CoV-2. You should avoid social contact and inform the people you have been in contact with in the past few days. A PCR test can confirm whether you are really infected.

When your PCR test result is positive, the testing laboratory informs the relevant local health authority (Gesundheitsamt) and you have to isolate. This means you are only allowed to leave your home in an emergency and you are not allowed to have visitors.

After a positive PCR test it is important to avoid infecting anyone else. When you are isolating at home, you should reduce your contact with other people in your household as much as possible, keep your distance, wash your hands often, wear a mask at home and air the rooms regularly.

The length of time you have to spend isolating and the time that close contacts have to spend in quarantine can be different in different parts of Germany and have been changed several times during the pandemic. Please check on the current rules in your particular federal state. More information can be found at infektionsschutz.de (website of BZgA, the Federal Centre for Health Education).

Most infected people recover from the illness at home. If need be, you can take medicines to relieve the symptoms and reduce your fever or calm the cough. In certain cases it can also be helpful to take antivirals early on in the illness to avoid becoming seriously ill. You should discuss the treatment options with your doctor as soon as you receive the result of the PCR test.

You should also consult a doctor if the symptoms worsen, or do not get better, after a week. Ask how the treatment will proceed and whether it needs to happen in hospital.

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