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Medical Experts: A coronavirus test doesn't mean your family is safe this Thanksgiving

Coronavirus testing
Posted at 10:42 PM, Nov 22, 2020
and last updated 2020-11-23 02:12:50-05

SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - Hundreds are getting tested for coronavirus before Thanksgiving hoping to keep their family safe. Medical experts say it's not necessarily going to work.

The lines were hours long in front of a Linda Vista testing site, just as long at sites around the county Sunday.

"There's a worrisome reason for that, people are planning to go visit their older relatives and they think they're going to be 100% safe," Dr. Davey Smith, Chief of Infectious Diseases at UC San Diego said getting tested Sunday or any day leading up to Thanksgiving could give you a false negative.

"If I get tested now, it doesn't mean that I'm not infected, it just means that I'm not actively shedding the virus," Smith said.

According to the CDC the incubation period for the virus is 2-14 days.

"I thought Halloween was going to be the scary part of the year but November, December, January are just going to be really tough I think. We've got Thanksgiving coming up, then we have Christmas coming up and then New Year's and everybody is tired of being on lock down, it breaks my heart," Dr. Smith said leaning back in his chair.

Data shows after each holiday this year, we've seen a spike in cases.

The CDC and Dr. Smith urge everyone to gather virtually, or in small groups outside, socially distance and wash your hands often.

We all know 2020 has been the year of sacrifices and Dr. Smith feels it too, "I'm really grateful for my niece who I have not met yet, because of the pandemic, I am so excited, I get pictures every day, so I'm pretty happy."

All of us hopeful next year we can all be with our loved ones.

"If we can just get through the winter, I promise these vaccines and treatments are really going to change everything and that just means there will be more of us to celebrate next year," Dr. Smith said.