How long does it take for people with COVID-19 to become non-contagious?

According to Bailey, the length of infectivity varies from person to person, depending on the severity of the infection, the intensity of exposure, and the immune system of each person.

Typically, Highest infectivity window It seems to occur from 2 days before the onset of symptoms to 3 days after the onset of symptoms.

Contact tracing research From the early days of the pandemic, it has been found that infections are less common when exposed to humans 6 days after the onset of symptoms.

The virus can infect others even after 5 days of symptoms. Therefore, health officials advise that people who have recently recovered from their illness should continue to wear masks for five days when they are around others.

one study According to a recent publication in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases, about one-third of people with infectious diseases continue to be infected after five days.

However, it is unclear if this is the case for Omicron variants.

A Recent research According to a discovery from Japan, patients infected with the Omicron variant release the virus longer after symptoms appear.

This study suggests that the peak viral shedding by the Omicron mutant may be two or three days longer than the previous mutant.

Dr. Julie PersonetInfectious disease epidemiologists at Stanford University School of Medicine say there seems to be no strong relationship between human symptoms and the amount of virus in the nose and throat.

However, in general, people who test positive and are symptomatic are at high risk of infection and should be quarantined at home to prevent the virus from infecting others.

“People who don’t get better, especially if they have a cough or sneeze, need to stay home until they feel better,” said Personet.

If a person carrying the virus is coughing or sneezing, it is more likely to spread the virus to others because it emits respiratory droplets that carry the virus.

Researchers are still studying whether and how symptoms correlate with human infectivity.

“We don’t know exactly how the duration of a symptom is related to how long someone is infected, but we usually associate symptoms such as fever as an indication that someone is still infected. “. Dr. John Carlo, CEO of Prism Health North Texas and a member of the Texas Medical Association COVID-19 Task Force.

research It also shows that people with asymptomatic infections are less likely to spread the infection than people with symptomatic infections, but they can infect others.

Personnet says it is difficult to quantify the duration of infection because it is difficult to determine when and how long an asymptomatic individual is infected.

“Asymptomatic infections may prove to be more common in Omicron variants given their high infectivity, but it’s too early to draw this conclusion now,” Bailey said. I did.

There is no reliable or easy way to determine if you are still contagious. Therefore, health authorities recommend quarantining at home for 5-10 days, depending on your symptoms.

It is advised that those who are asymptomatic or improving after 5 days can continue to wear masks around others for an additional 5 days after quarantine is completed.

According to the guidance from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)People who do not improve after 5 days should continue to be quarantined at home until their symptoms improve and the fever subsides.

Most infectious disease doctors do not recommend taking a PCR test to determine if you are still shedding the virus.

The PCR test is sensitive and can detect non-communicable viruses after up to 90 days of infection.

Many doctors recommend using a rapid antigen test when the viral load is high. This may or may not correlate with human infectivity.

“It is important to remember that the currently available COVID-19 tests are not designed to determine if someone is infected. They are COVID-19 infections that are slightly different for someone. It’s designed to test if you have the disease, “Carlo said.

Infectious disease experts believe that, on average, the majority of people infected with the coronavirus are most contagious just before and after the onset of symptoms.

However, the duration of transmission varies from person to person, depending on the severity of the infection, the intensity of exposure, and the response of the immune system.

According to recent data, one-third of people infected with COVID-19 have been infected for more than 5 days. There is no perfect way to measure how long a particular person has been infected, but a rapid test that is detected when the viral load is high can help determine if it is infectious.