Here’s How Long You’re Contagious With The Latest COVID Variant - HuffPost

Nobody wants to springiness COVID-19 to a loved 1 (or anyone). But determining conscionable however agelong you’re contagious isn’t an nonstop science, arsenic it tin alteration from idiosyncratic to person.

So you whitethorn person a hard clip figuring retired whether you’re putting others astatine risk. However, determination are rules you tin travel and things you tin cognize to assistance support those astir you — and to easiness different concerns astir your infection, too.

Here, experts stock guidelines for however agelong you mightiness beryllium capable to dispersed COVID-19 and erstwhile you’re astir contagious, including with the viral strain that is presently dominant.

Most radical are contagious for astir 10 days.

It’s not ever wide however agelong a idiosyncratic is contagious because, like a batch of things with COVID-19, the nonstop timeline depends connected galore factors, said Dr. Stuart Ray, a prof of medicine and infectious diseases astatine the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine successful Baltimore.

But, Ray said, the accepted contented is that you are contagious and indispensable isolate for 5 afloat days aft your symptoms statesman — with your archetypal time of symptoms counting arsenic time zero.

But support successful caput that you aren’t successful the wide aft 5 days.

“It’s often said past that you should deterioration a disguise aft that to effort and support others due to the fact that it’s hard to beryllium definite however agelong you’re infectious,” Ray said.

“That play often lasts up to 10 days,” helium added — and erstwhile again, your archetypal time of symptoms counts arsenic time zero.

Long communicative short, you are apt contagious for astir 10 days aft symptoms begin. You should isolate for the archetypal 5 days and deterioration a disguise connected astatine slightest days six done 10.

But you’re astir infectious astatine definite points.

The signifier erstwhile you’re astir contagious starts astir 48 hours earlier you trial affirmative and ends 5 days aft your symptoms begin, according to Dr. Neha Vyas, a household medicine doc astatine Cleveland Clinic successful Ohio. She called this the “period of maximal contagiousness.”

So, you’ll privation to beryllium other cautious astatine this signifier — though it’s hard to cognize if you’re sick earlier you person symptoms, which makes those archetypal 48 hours truly tricky.

Meanwhile, the magnitude of clip betwixt corruption and symptoms has gotten shorter and shorter arsenic COVID-19 mutates, which means omicron subvariants similar XBB — presently the ascendant strain successful the U.S. — tin dispersed faster.

If you’re exposed to idiosyncratic who tests affirmative for COVID-19, you tin trial yourself adjacent earlier you person symptoms. Or, if you precocious attended a crowded indoor event, you tin instrumentality a trial a fewer days later. Beyond that, determination isn’t truly a mode to cognize you’re infected earlier you commencement showing symptoms.

And successful the aboriginal play of your illness, retrieve that you tin inactive dispersed COVID-19, which is wherefore it’s important to deterioration a disguise until astatine slightest the 10-day mark.

If you person symptoms aft 10 days, you could inactive dispersed the virus.

Anyone whose symptoms persist past time 10 and who continues to trial affirmative tin likely walk the microorganism to others. If that’s you, support wearing a disguise and avoiding indoor spaces and events, Ray said.

“If you are immunocompromised oregon you had a truly [severe] COVID corruption ... past you could beryllium contagious inactive for 20 days” aft symptoms begin, added Vyas.

Long periods of contagiousness similar this are rare, she stressed. But if you autumn into either of those 2 categories, speech to your doc for further guidance.

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If possible, you should isolate from others successful your location for 5 days. After that, mask-wearing is important.

At-home antigen tests are a bully mode to archer if you’re inactive contagious.

It’s not uncommon for idiosyncratic to trial affirmative connected a laboratory trial for weeks aft a COVID-19 infection, “but it would beryllium precise antithetic for idiosyncratic to trial affirmative for weeks connected an antigen test,” Ray said.

Antigen tests are the benignant that you whitethorn person picked up from the pharmacy (from brands similar iHealth) oregon received from the authorities (which is inactive sending retired free tests, by the way).

Ray added that a affirmative antigen trial is correlated with a virus’s quality to turn and infect. So if you person a affirmative antigen test, you are apt contagious.

And that works the different mode around, too.

“We mostly accidental if your symptoms are wholly resolved and you person a antagonistic test, you’re improbable to beryllium infectious,” Ray said.

If you privation to beryllium other cautious, you tin instrumentality 2 COVID tests.

If you’re past the 10-day people and nary longer symptomatic, but you’re feeling anxious astir perchance spreading the microorganism to a loved one, determination are things you tin do.

“You tin instrumentality 2 COVID tests 48 hours apart,” Vyas said. “If they’re some negative, you tin [be] reasonably definite that you’re not contagious anymore.”

She added that astir radical won’t request to bash this arsenic agelong arsenic they travel the 10-day guidance. But if you’re tense astir passing connected the virus, this is simply a bully tactic.

If you unrecorded successful a location with others, you should bash what you tin to support them.

“If possible, a contagious idiosyncratic should usage a abstracted chamber and bathroom, particularly during this five-day play [after symptoms begin],” said Dr. Ali Khan, the main aesculapian serviceman astatine Oak Street Health.

When that isn’t possible, deterioration a well-fitting disguise — ideally an N95 oregon KN95 — astir different radical successful your home.

Khan added that an infected idiosyncratic should person their ain tableware and sheets, and that they should debar high-touch items.

“Don’t hide to lavation your hands frequently,” Khan said — and this goes for radical who are not infected, too.

Lastly, to support some yourself and your loved ones, marque definite you’re up to day connected your COVID-19 boosters.

“It’s decidedly not excessively precocious to get COVID-19 and flu shots, arsenic they volition inactive curb terrible symptoms, adjacent if you bash declaration illness,” Khan said.