How long does a person with a coronavirus remain contagious: CDC explanation
'27.04.2020'
Source: health.mail.ru
Портал health.mail.ru He said that so far science is aware of this, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) explained when self-isolation after an illness can be interrupted.
The incubation period - the time between the penetration of the SARS-CoV-2 virus into the body and the appearance of the first symptoms of the infectious disease COVID-19 caused by it - can last from one to 14 days. However, in most people, symptoms - usually a fever, cough and loss of strength - appear from the fourth to the sixth day after infection and persist for about nine to ten days, but can last longer.
According to available data, for COVID-19, the infectious period - the time during which an infected person can transmit the virus to someone else - can begin 1-3 days before the onset of symptoms and then continue for another 7 days. That is, the total duration of the infectious period is most often 8-10 days.
However, some people remain contagious longer. Experts suggest that this is due to the level of viral load - with the number of viral particles circulating in the body. The higher the viral load, the harder the disease, the higher the risk of infection of others and the longer the infection period lasts.
On the subject: COVID-19 in asymptomatic form: why there is no temperature and whether the lungs suffer
Now it is generally accepted that a person is no longer a danger to others if he does not have symptoms of the disease within the last 3 days, and the first signs of COVID-19 appeared more than 10 days before they completely disappeared.
However, it is not yet clear whether a person remains contagious if he seems to have completely recovered, but his virus is still being detected. Such cases have been reported in China, South Korea and Hong Kong. To answer this question, further research is required, epidemiologists at Australian National University explain in their article in The Conversation.
On the the official website The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides criteria for ending home isolation for those who have had coronavirus infection.
If you cannot pass the test to determine if you are contagious, you can stop isolation after a combination of ALL three factors:
- you have not had a fever for at least 72 hours (i.e. 3 full days without fever without the use of antipyretics);
- other symptoms have become milder (for example, shortness of breath, coughing have gone or decreased);
- at least 7 days have passed since the onset of symptoms.
On the subject: Guide to body temperature: which is considered to be the norm, and at what should be alarm
If you tested or did the test, you can break isolation after a combination of ALL three factors:
- you no longer have fever (without the use of antipyretics);
- other symptoms have become milder (for example, shortness of breath, coughing have gone or decreased);
- You have received two negative test results or tests in a row, with an interval of 24 hours.
In all cases, follow the instructions of your doctor and your local health department.
The decision to stop isolation at home should be made after consultation with your healthcare provider, as well as with the state and community health departments.
Local decisions depend on local conditions of disease and official recommendations, noted in the CDC.
The material is published for educational purposes and is not a medical recommendation. ForumDaily Woman is not responsible for the consequences of self-medication and may not share the views of the author or expert.
