COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) can be contagious for weeks or longer, depending on how sick a patient is. Ideally, patients should be quarantined at home or an institution for 2 weeks after the symptoms completely disappear. *. Scientists from Southern Illinois University have identified a third US variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 — and it may be the most contagious strain yet, researchers said Thursday. People infected with COVID-19 can still be contagious even when they stop feeling sick, so precautionary measures should continue for at least 2 weeks after symptoms disappear and until the COVID-19 test result is negative. TUESDAY, Nov. 24, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- People infected with the new coronavirus are most contagious … The CDC has put together a list of guidelines that we're sharing here verbatim, as well as what the studies have shown, so you can know exactly how long are you contagious with COVID-19. With an increasing number of us either contracting, or being exposed to, the virus, it’s important to know when you or those around you are most contagious and to understand the key periods of viral development. By the 10 th day after COVID symptoms begin, most people will no longer be contagious, as long as their symptoms have continued to improve and their fever has resolved. Period of infection explained COVID update: The novel coronavirus affects people differently, … Studies have shown that people may be contagious for about two days before developing COVID-19 symptoms. Experts say right before developing symptoms is when people are likely the most contagious. Most commonly, cases can be traced back to places where people spend a lot of time congregating together — such as your house or work — … Coronavirus Most Contagious Soon After Infection. Another study, which looked at 77 pairs of individuals in which one person infected the other, found that contagiousness both began and peaked before the first symptoms of illness — 2.3 days and 0.7 days respectively. The coronavirus has been found to be most contagious in the first five days after symptoms become apparent, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. The incubation period for COVID-19 (the time from infection to the start of symptoms) ranges from 4 days to 2 weeks, though patients are believed to be contagious before symptoms develop. Cases of COVID-19 are continuing to spike around the country, with latest reported numbers showing nearly 15 million total cases as of Dec. 7. Covid update: When is a person most contagious? Though current CDC guidelines suggest most people with COVID-19 aren't contagious 10 days after the onset of symptoms, health experts say measuring this may be is tricky. The data shows that when it comes to COVID-19, the locations where people contract the virus run the gamut. Those researchers concluded that about 44 percent of COVID-19 infections spread from person to person before symptom onset.