Positive for Covid-19

You are advised to stay at home if you are sick until you are well again. If your test is positive but you are not sick, you do not need to stay at home.

Updated: 8 December 2022

There are no longer recommendations for self-isolation in the event of a positive test. But you are recommended to stay at home if you are sick until you are well again, so that you do not infect others. If your test is positive, but you do not feel sick, you do not need to stay at home.

The National Board of Health recommends that you follow the infection prevention advice, regardless of whether you feel sick or not.

In this connection, staying at home means that you avoid close and long-term contact with others and thus do not attend work, leisure activities or social events, and that children do not attend school, day care etc. This means in particular that you are not with the elderly and the chronically ill, who are more susceptible to infectious diseases. You don't have to isolate yourself completely in your home.

You no longer need to notify your close and other contacts.

If you have symptoms and are at increased risk of a serious course with covid-19, you may be in the target group for early treatment. Contact your doctor as soon as possible.

Read more here (information in Danish):

If your test is positive for Covid-19 (sst.dk)

 

Early treatment of covid-19

If you have tested positive for covid-19, have symptoms and are at increased risk of serious illness with covid-19, you may be in the target group for early treatment which can reduce the risk of serious illness with covid-19.

It is up to your doctor to assess whether or not you are in the target group for early treatment. As treatment must be given as quickly as possible after symptoms begin, it is very important that you contact your doctor as soon as you have tested positive.

You may be in the target group for early treatment if you meet all three of the criteria below:

  • Positive test for the novel coronavirus.
    This can be a positive PCR test, a rapid test or a self test.
  • Significant symptoms of covid-19
    Significant symptoms of covid-19 are fever, persistent cough and difficulties breathing combined with feelings of sickness or nausea.
  • You are at an increased risk of serious illness with covid-19 as per one of the following groups:
    1. You are aged 80 or over and you last vaccination against covid-19 is more than six months old
    2. You are aged 80 or over and have one or several chronic illnesses or conditions
    3. You are aged 65–79 and unvaccinated
    4. You are aged 65–79, you have one or several chronic illnesses or conditions and you last vaccination against covid-19 is more than six months old
    5. You are aged 50–64, you have one or several chronic illnesses or conditions and you are unvaccinated
    6. You are pregnant, at an increased risk (for example due to chronic illness) and you are not vaccinated. It is your doctor who assesses whether or not you are at an increased risk.

Read more from the Danish Health Authority:

Covid-19 Early Treatment (sst.dk in Danish)

POSITIVE TEST RESULT

Digital contact tracing

If you have tested positive within the past week, you can report your positive result directly at sundhed.dk or via the app MinSundhed.

If you are in need of guidance, you can call contact tracing on (+45) 32 32 05 11.

When is covid-19 most contagious?

The risk of infecting others with covid-19 is assumed to be greatest in the day up to the onset of symptoms and for a few days after the symptoms started. However, you can infect others, even if you do not experience symptoms yourself. Therefore, it is important to follow the advice of the health authorities and go into self-isolation if you have tested positive.

For omicron-infected persons it is assumed that you secrete most virus in the days up to the symptoms starts and for a few days after the symptoms started, but that virus can be secreted up to 8-10 days after the symptoms started.

At the same time, it is assumed that both the extent and duration of virus secretion are generally reduced due to the extensive population immunity.

Omicron-infected people secrete virus even though they have no symptoms or have mild symptoms and severe symptoms. But in general, it is assumed that both the extent and duration of virus secretion are significantly greater if you have severe symptoms of covid-19. At the same time, it is assumed that a large proportion of those infected will have developed symptoms 3 days after infection.

After being infected with COVID-19
Infection-free

After being infected with covid-19

If you have been infected, it might affect when you can get vaccinated, whether you are recommended to be tested and how long you must wait until you have a valid corona passport again.

Help prevent the spread of COVID-19
Prevent infection

Help prevent the spread of covid-19

To limit the spread of covid-19, it is important to follow the rules and recommendations set by the authorities.

FAQs

Questions and answers about being infected with coronavirus

Updated: 8 December 2022

There are no longer recommendations for self-isolation in the event of a positive test. But you are recommended to stay at home if you are sick until you are well again, so that you do not infect others. If your test is positive, but you do not feel sick, you do not need to stay at home.

The National Board of Health recommends that you follow the infection prevention advice, regardless of whether you feel sick or not.

In this connection, staying at home means that you avoid close and long-term contact with others and thus do not attend work, leisure activities or social events, and that children do not attend school, day care etc. This means in particular that you are not with the elderly and the chronically ill, who are more susceptible to infectious diseases. You don't have to isolate yourself completely in your home.

The same isolation recommendations apply to children as to adults.

The health authorities recommend that you wait a month after recovering from illness before being vaccinated.

If you are infected with covid-19, have symptoms, and are at increased risk of becoming seriously ill, you may be able to get treatment with antiviral pills.

If you meet all three criteria below, you may be able to get treatment:

  • Positive PCR test for covid-19
  • Symptoms of covid-19 for maximum 5 days
  • In risk of becoming seriously ill from covid-19 because of the following:
    • You are 80 years or older, regardless of vaccinations status
    • You are not vaccinated, and you are between 65 and 79 years old
    • You are not vaccinated, and you are between 18 and 64 years old and in risk of becoming seriously ill from covid-19
    • You are vaccinated, below the age of 80 but with several different serious diseases, which together increase your risk of a serious covid-19 course of illness

Your doctor determines whether you are in the target group for treatment with antiviral pills. If you think you may be in the target group, it is important that you contact your doctor as soon as you have received your positive PCR test result, as treatment must be given within 5 days of experiencing covid-19 symptoms.

The Danish Health Authority recommends antiviral pills to those who will benefit the most from them.

The Danish Health Authority’s recommendations are based on an assessment of which persons may benefit the most from treatment with antiviral pills, which outweigh the risk of both known and unknown side effects.

The Danish Health Authority assesses that the benefits outweigh the risks for people who are most at risk of becoming seriously ill and hospitalized. People who are not in increased risk of severe illness and hospitalization are not recommended to use antiviral pills, as they are not considered to benefit from the treatment.

The recommendations on treatment with antiviral pills will be adjusted as the Danish Health Authority will get more knowledge.

Still looking for answers?

You can find out more information in our FAQ section or by contacting one of the authorities' covid-19 hotlines.