What to do if you test positive before flying home?

[ReefHound]

Agree and thanks for the clarification. But my question stands...how do I find such a doctor from the States before leaving?

I would go to a Cozumel group on FB - two I know of are "Cozumel 4 You" and "Cozumel4All" - and make a post there. Those groups are composed of a lot more locals and ex-pats and I know of at least one doctor there (Juan Jose Arellano) that is active on the groups and has said he could write such a letter. There are likely more.

 

[ggunn]

It might also be worth finding a doctor (before you travel to Cozumel, not while you are there) that will agree to sign off on your return form after you've done your 10 days. Otherwise it seems likely you'll have to travel across Mexico and back into the USA by car. Then you can fly home. I suspect getting a rental in Mexico that you could take to the US would be a problem.

I have been assuming that the 10 days is just a minimum stay and you'd still have to show a negative test before you can fly back to the US. Is that not correct?

 

[DallasNewbie]

How would one go about doing that?

I'd speak to my hotel. And schedule the test through them as well.

 

[rmssetc]

The first thing I would do after testing positive is arrange to take another test.

We're divers here, and most of us are clearly not public health physicians. Let's put this in different terms....

You're on the boat, diving on Punta Sur Cathedral, planned depth of 90'.

Everyone else on the boat analyzes their tanks and gets the expected Nitrox 32, and 0PPM of CO.

You check your tank with the same tester. It reads 38% O2 and it shows 10PPM of CO.

Do you:

[1] dive the tank anyway, figuring that you got a false reading
[2] test again with another analyzer, and dive the same tank if it reads differently with a second analyzer
[3] dive a different tank

If you make a bad choice on this dive, you don't put anyone else at risk.

If you don't like the result of your COVID test and get another test -- maybe that's the right thing to do, getting a more sensitive PCR test. If the two conflict, get a third test as a tie-breaker.

Of course, if the idea is just to walk out with a nice negative test after gargling with mouthwash, you may be putting everyone else who is enclosed on the plane with you at risk, without their knowledge or consent.

 

[DallasNewbie]

It seems to me the right thing to do is to get back to the states where you can have confidence in the diagnosis and treatment. And if it happens that you are infected, rest assured that you won't be the only one in the airport or your flight who is. That's just the odds.

 

[Diverlady13]

I have been assuming that the 10 days is just a minimum stay and you'd still have to show a negative test before you can fly back to the US. Is that not correct?

No. You either need a negative test OR documentation of recovery (i.e. letter from a doctor).
COVID-19 and Your Health.

 

[Esprise Me]

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[gopbroek]

I have been assuming that the 10 days is just a minimum stay and you'd still have to show a negative test before you can fly back to the US. Is that not correct?

After you have recovered you have a high chance of a false positive test which is why you are excluded from the test requirements for 90 days. A coworker of mine had a false positive at day 97.

 

[cvchief]

After you have recovered you have a high chance of a false positive test which is why you are excluded from the test requirements for 90 days. A coworker of mine had a false positive at day 97.

A friend at a Coz hospital told the majority test negative by 14 days. Not all but mostly.

Still, did I miss what the big deal is going to a hospital in Coz and getting a letter? I would think any of them would do that for you?

 

[ReefHound]

A friend at a Coz hospital told the majority test negative by 14 days. Not all but mostly.

Still, did I miss what the big deal is going to a hospital in Coz and getting a letter? I would think any of them would do that for you?

Earlier in one of the threads someone cited a case where someone was testing positive after several weeks and their doctor would not sign such a letter. My response was "find another doctor".