RELATED: For more up-to-date information, sign up for our daily newsletter. RELATED: These 6 States Are Where Your COVID Risk Is Highest This Labor Day Weekend. Jennifer Nuzzo, DrPH, an epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, told HuffPost that because Delta is so transmissible, if you’ve been gathering in places without wearing a mask or social distancing where you don’t know the vaccine status of people around you, there’s a high probability you’ll be exposed. “If you’re around virus in a good enough way, there’s a good chance you’re going to be infected,” she said.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb Even if you are exposed to COVID, that doesn’t mean you’ll definitely contract the virus, however. How physically close you get to the infected person, how long you are with them, how much of the virus they’re shedding, and what the ventilation of the room is like all play a part. If the answer to those questions is “close,” “long,” “a lot,” and “poor,” there’s a higher chance of COVID exposure. Then, there is also the factor of how your body responds to the virus, including whether or not you have immunity from vaccination or previous infection. According to HuffPost, if you’ve been vaccinated, there’s a higher chance you wouldn’t know if you were exposed because the vaccine helps your body build an immune response to fight off the virus before it could cause you to develop any symptoms. But, they say, “You might be able to sense the activation of your immune system. … Some people might be able to feel that immune response, which could potentially feel similar to some of the side effects experienced after vaccination since those were signs that your immune system was revved up.” Gandhi added that if you’ve been exposed to COVID, even if you’re vaccinated, you may “feel down or tired.” RELATED: 85 Percent of Breakthrough COVID Cases Now Have This in Common, Study Says. But the truth is, with COVID exposure, there’s no way to know for sure unless you test positive for the virus while you’re actively infected. Even an antibody test, which can measure your immune response from past infection or vaccination, there’s “a small chance of a false positive,” the experts at Healthline warn. If you suspect you’ve been exposed to COVID-19, how you should proceed depends on your vaccination status. The CDC says that unvaccinated people should quarantine for 14 days and monitor themselves for symptoms. If you do develop symptoms, self-isolate and talk to your doctor about treatment and testing. However, if you’re fully vaccinated and you suspect or know for sure that you’ve been exposed to COVID, get tested three to five days after exposure and wear a mask indoors when in public for 14 days or until you receive a negative test result. RELATED: These States Will Be Hit by a “True Delta Wave” Next, Virus Expert Warns.
