How long does coronavirus last, and how long are you contagious?
Individuals infected with the coronavirus are most contagious once they’ve started displaying symptoms of the illness, but science still isn’t sure whether it can be spread while it’s incubating — and it can incubate for a long time.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said “some spread might be possible” during incubation, and “there have been reports of this occurring with this new coronavirus.”
While it takes five days from the time coronavirus is contracted for the average person to show symptoms, some cases show it can lay dormant for much longer periods of time.
A recent study in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that in a small number of extreme cases, the virus can incubate for longer than 14 days, the CDC’s current recommended isolation period.
“Our estimates suggest that 101 out of every 10,000 cases will develop symptoms after 14 days of active monitoring or quarantine,” the study said.
Another study published in the Journal of American Medicine found an individual who’d been infected for 19 days before any symptoms appeared.
The majority of COVID-19 cases have been classified as “mild,” and according to the World Health Organization, 80 percent of people will bounce back from the disease without any special treatment.
A smaller number, 1 in 6, will fall seriously ill. Older adults and those with underlying medical conditions are more likely than the general population to develop serious complications.
Recovery times can vary widely, especially if other issues such as pneumonia develop as a result of the virus. But a Harvard Medical School report said those with mild symptoms can expect to recover in a matter of days, while severe cases can take weeks.
This story was originally published March 11, 2020, 5:28 PM.
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