How long does COVID-19 last? and other COVID-19 FAQ

A study looked at how long do COVID-19 symptoms last showed that:

• Most people's COVID-19 symptoms last between 13 to 38 days with the median being 20 days.
• The first week of illness symptoms are usually mild, after this time patients start feeling worse with more severe symptoms peaking on average on day 10.
• After 3 weeks 66% of patients were back to their normal health.

How long are you contagious with COVID-19?

• You are contagious and may spread the virus that causes COVID-19, at least 2 days before you show symptoms and for up to 10 days from the day you have your first symptom.
• The highest risk of transmitting the virus to someone else in the few days before symptoms started and then for 5 days since the symptoms started.

How long to quarantine after a positive COVID-19 test?

The CDC define the difference between quarantine and isolation as:

• Quarantine: You need to be in quarantine when you have been exposed to the virus and you may or may not be infected.

• Isolation: You need to isolate when you are infected with the virus, whether you have symptoms or not.

Quarantine Recommendation by CDC for COVID-19

This is if you have been exposed to COVID-19 and you may or may not be infected.

If you are unvaccinated, or are more than six months out from second mRNA dose, or more than 2 months since the J&J vaccine and not yet boosted you should:

• Quarantine for 5 days, followed by an additional 5 days of strict mask use.
• If 5 day quarantine is not possible then it is important that for 10 days you wear a well-fitting mask at all times, around other people.

If you are fully vaccinated and have received your booster then you do not need to be quarantined if exposed to COVID-19 however you should:

• Wear a well-fitting mask around other people for 10 days.

Anyone who has been exposed to COVID-19 should be tested for SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) 5 days after exposure.
If COVID-19 symptoms develop then you should immediately quarantine until you receive a negative test.


Isolation Recommendation by CDC for COVID-19

• If you have had a positive COVID-19 test you will need to stay at home and isolate yourself away from other people who do not have COVID-19 for 5 days.
• If you are symptom free or your symptoms are improving after 5 days, you can leave the house.
• For the next 5 days you should continue to wear a mask around other people.
• Day one is the first day you have any symptoms.
• If you have had a positive test, but you have never had any symptoms, then you count the test-day as day one.
• If you test positive before you start having symptoms, then you count day one as the day you started getting symptoms.

Related questions

• Can you have Covid without a fever?
• Which breathing techniques help with COVID-19?
• Is Omicron worse than Delta?

How long do COVID-19 symptoms take to show?

• On average it takes 5–6 days from when someone is infected with the virus for symptoms to show, however it can take up to 14 days.

Can dogs and other pets get COVID-19?

• The virus that causes COVID-19 can spread from people to pets, including cats and dogs.
• If you have COVID-19 you should restrict contact with your pet as much as possible to avoid passing it to them.
• To reduce the chance of your pet getting the virus from someone else, avoid letting your pet interact with people or animals that are not part of your household.

How long does the COVID-19 vaccine last?

• It is difficult to say how long the COVID-19 vaccines last, with variability between the different vaccines available, new virus variants, how each person responds to the vaccine and whether the full primary vaccine course and booster doses have been completed .
• We do know that over time that vaccine effectiveness at preventing new infections does lower, but vaccine effectiveness against hospitalization seems to remain stable over the same time.
• It is important to complete your vaccine course and booster doses in a timely manner so that you get the best possible protection from your COVID-19 vaccine.

Click here for more information on: COVID-19: Treatments and Vaccines