A. Scientists still don’t know how long people remain contagious for after infection. The CDC has issued guidelines for when people with known COVID infection can leave the house for essential trips:
- No fever for at least 72 hours without the use of medicines to reduce the fever, AND
- Other symptoms have improved, AND
- At least 7 days have passed since the first symptoms appeared
However, there are increasing reports of people feeling better for up to 7 days and then experiencing a relapse of symptoms. Because of this, an ER doctor suggests, “you might want to wait a couple of extra days [past the 7-day threshold] before leaving self-isolation, in case you regress.”
New research also indicates people continue to shed virus well after symptoms have resolved, further complicating the matter. What’s not clear though is if viral shedding necessarily means a person is still contagious.
Take home point: the CDC guidelines are expected to change as we learn new information about how long people remain contagious after COVID infection. In the meantime, “after self-isolation, recovered patients who are returning to work and public spaces should still follow the mitigation recommendations for everyone, such as avoiding groups and washing hands.”
