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Testing guests ahead of Thanksgiving still isn't enough

Doctors warn that even if you test negative for COVID-19, you could still unknowingly transmit the virus to others.

TAMPA, Fla. — The coronavirus pandemic is causing millions of Americans to forgo their Thanksgiving traditions and resort to much more intimate gatherings.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the safest way to enjoy Thanksgiving is to celebrate at home with the people you live with.

Despite the recommendations from medical experts, many will stick to their original plans, choosing to host and attend parties bringing together multiple people from many different households.

A new nationwide survey finds 1 in 3 parents say the benefits of gathering at Thanksgiving are worth the risk.

If you're planning on hosting a get-together, the CDC offers considerations to mitigate the threat of transmission.

Tampa General Hospital also issued tips for social gatherings during the pandemic.

Credit: Tampa General Hospital

One benefit to celebrating in Florida is the nice weather which provides a safer outdoor alternative if you're socializing with others.

"The less chance that we have that if someone is infected and shedding that virus when they breathe, cough, and speak, if you’re well ventilated or outside, that virus is not in a contained space. You’re less likely to inhale enough viral particles to cause infection," said, Dr. Paul Nanda, the Chief Medical Officer at Tampa General Hospital Urgent Care.

If you're thinking about having guests get tested prior to your Thanksgiving gathering, doctors warn that testing alone does not guarantee you won't transmit or catch the virus at the function.

"When you get a test, it’s a snapshot in time so that tells you, you are negative to the limit of detection of that test on that day," said Dr. Michael Teng, a virologist with the University of South Florida College of Public Health.

Rapid tests are notoriously less accurate than the PCR tests which are studied in a lab before producing a result, Teng explained.

Rapid tests require a certain amount of viral load to be present in the nose for the test to pick it up and come back positive.

"You might have a negative test on day one, be around people on days 2 and 3, test positive on day 4, and now all the people you’ve been around, your friends and family have now been exposed and potentially get sick," said Dr. Nanda.

RELATED: Where to get a rapid COVID-19 test in Tampa Bay

The takeaway for people relying on testing ahead of their Thanksgiving function is to continue to enforce mitigating practices such as frequent handwashing, keeping people outdoors as much as possible, wearing masks throughout the duration of the gathering, and keeping families physically distanced while eating and drinking.

It's also important to know that testing at various locations across Tampa Bay is becoming increasingly more difficult with a high demand ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.

You might want to get tested at your doctor's or a pharmacy before sitting in line at some of the free, public drive-through centers. Your insurance might cover testing, and pricing varies from provider to provider.

10 Tampa Bay learned that you could wait two hours before being tested at Tropicana Field. The site has also had to close early recently just to process the people already waiting in line.

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