“In the early days of the pandemic, it was recommended to isolate for 10 days after having a positive COVID test. And then a few years ago, the CDC changed its recommendation: you could come out of isolation five days after receiving a positive test and wear a mask for the additional five days.”
You must monitor yourself for symptoms, wear a mask at all times around others, wash hands, and stay at least 6 feet from others for 14 days after exposure.
While people become less contagious over time, they are still contagious with COVID for an average of eight days. That may vary depending on factors including underlying health conditions and the severity of illness.
“A big study came out in the fall of 2023 which showed that most people are the most contagious on day four of symptoms with COVID and then it wanes from there,” said Dr. Roberts. While people become less contagious over time, they are still contagious with COVID for an average of eight days.
People with COVID-19 should isolate for 5 days and if they are asymptomatic or their symptoms are resolving (without fever for 24 hours), follow that by 5 days of wearing a mask when around others to minimize the risk of infecting people they encounter.
COVID-19 symptoms (if you have them) typically start 2-14 days after infection and clear up within a few days or weeks. The severity and length of illness varies from person to person, and there's no certainty about how long COVID-19 stays in your body.
After a positive test result, you may continue to test positive for some time. Some tests, especially NAAT tests, may continue to show a positive result for up to 90 days. Reinfections can occur within 90 days, which can make it hard to know if a positive test indicates a new infection.
Consider staying away from people at high risk of getting very sick until: 10 days have passed since your symptoms started, 10 days have passed since you tested positive (if you never developed symptoms), or. You test negative for COVID-19 with an antigen test (such as an at-home test)