An inconclusive can mean one of three cases:
- The person has tested positive, most likely within the last 12 weeks. Viral RNA is still detectable, but the person is not infectious.
- The person has had recent exposure but is too early to yield a positive detection. They are at the very early stages of an infection, likely not infectious at the time the sample was provided; however, viral loads can reach infectious levels in as little as 6 - 18hours. Persons should be treated as presumptive positive, begin quarantine and take a confirmatory test 2-3 days from the date of the first sample submission.
- The person is at the very end of an infection the viral loads have ramped down to noninfectious levels. If the person has never tested positive before, a confirmatory test is recommended within 3-5 days of the first sample submission. A second inconclusive or negative result will confirm that the person is not carrying infectious loads of virus and can end quarantine.