The COVID-19 incubation period, which is the time between when a person is exposed to the virus and when their symptoms first appear, ranges from 1 to 14 days. Most people develop symptoms 5 to 6 days after being in contact with a person with COVID-19.
Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. Anyone can have mild to severe symptoms. Possible symptoms include: Fever or chills.
When do omicron subvariant symptoms start? The time it takes for an infected person to develop symptoms after an exposure is shorter for the omicron variant than for previous variants — from a full week down to as little as three days or less, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
People with moderate or severe COVID-19 should isolate through at least day 10. Those with severe COVID-19 may remain infectious beyond 10 days and may need to extend isolation for up to 20 days. People who are moderately or severely immunocompromised should isolate through at least day 20.
You can leave isolation if: It has been 5 days after your symptoms began (or if you never develop symptoms, 5 days after your initial positive test), and. You are fever-free for at least 24 hours (without taking fever-reducing medications), and. Other symptoms are improving.
You may need to get tested even if you do not have symptoms. You can have COVID-19 and spread it to others even if you do not have symptoms. Your COVID-19 test can be negative even if you are infected. Most people do not test positive for the virus until days after exposure.
Symptom onset
The first symptoms of COVID-19 can be more gradual. While COVID-19 symptoms can develop as early as two days after you're infected, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says five days after infection is typical.
Taken all together, the average incubation period of COVID between December 1, 2019, and February 10, 2022, was 6.57 days. Even though the incubation period is shorter, COVID-19 still has a longer incubation period than other respiratory infections.
BMJ: “Covid-19: Runny nose, headache, and fatigue are commonest symptoms of omicron, early data show.”
In infected individuals, the peak viral load occurred on day 5, with the virus first detected in the throat and then rising to significantly higher levels in the nose.
Common Symptoms
Fever or chills. A dry cough and shortness of breath. Feeling very tired. Muscle or body aches.
Most often, common cold symptoms start 1 to 3 days after someone is exposed to a cold virus. Symptoms vary. They can include: Runny or stuffy nose.
On June 30, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention added three symptoms to its COVID-19 list: Congestion/stuffy nose, nausea and diarrhea. Those three new conditions now join other symptoms identified by the CDC: Fever.
Most studies found that the length of the period of communicability for Omicron BA. 1 (3 – 5 days PSO) was shorter than for the wild-type strain (3 – 8 days PSO). The range of mean incubation periods for Omicron BA. 1 (2.5 – 4.6 days) and BA.
Since a sore throat is one of the hallmark symptoms of COVID-19, it's worth taking a moment to learn about the differences between pharyngitis that's caused by viruses (including sore throat with COVID-19, the flu, and the common cold) and pharyngitis that's caused by bacteria (including strep throat).
If your test is positive, you are likely still contagious. You should continue to isolate and wear a mask and wait 24-48 hours to test again.
You can spread the common cold from a few days before your symptoms appear until all of the symptoms are gone. Most people will be contagious for up to 2 weeks. Symptoms are usually worse during the first 2 to 3 days, and this is when you're most likely to spread the virus.
What should I do if I may have been exposed to COVID-19? Regardless of your vaccination status: Get tested immediately and 3-5 days after your last exposure. Wear a mask around others for 10 days, even at home.
Symptoms of fever, cough, sore throat, head and body aches, and vomiting and diarrhea (more common in children than adults) come on suddenly. By contrast, COVID-19 symptoms usually take longer to develop – two to 14 days after exposure to the virus. A cold usually peaks in two or three days.
Symptoms of a cold tend to be mild. You may have a runny nose, cough, congestion, and sore throat. But you won't usually have the aches and fever that are common with COVID-19 and flu. Often, you'll feel better in a couple of days.
It can make you feel dull and tired, take away your energy, and eat away at your ability to get things done. Depending on the seriousness of your COVID-19 infection, it may last 2 to 3 weeks. But for some people with a severe infection, the brain fog-like fatigue and pain can linger for weeks or months.
How long do omicron symptoms last? Most people who test positive with any variant of COVID-19 typically experience some symptoms for a couple weeks. People who have long COVID-19 symptoms can experience health problems for four or more weeks after first being infected, according to the CDC.
A negative result from a COVID-19 rapid test is usually enough to ease worries, but one test isn't enough to rule it out. One negative result could mean that you don't have a contagious amount of the virus at the time of testing, even if you do have COVID-19 already, Adalja said.
In high-risk settings, they may be considered infectious from 72 hours before symptoms start. People with mild illness are generally considered recovered after 7 days if they have been asymptomatic or have not developed any new symptoms during this time.
The research shows that covid-19 headaches are most similar to either tension headaches or migraines. The symptoms of tension-like headaches include: Moderate or severe pain. Pain on both sides of the head.