How long is a positive omicron contagious?

When a person becomes infected with the omicron variant, the protagonist of practically all the infections in Spain right now, the virus takes about three days in triggering the infection. After this very brief incubation period (much more sudden than with other variants), the infected patient may begin to feel the first symptoms of the disease. The characteristic discomfort of this virus, then, begins to make itself felt after the third or fourth day. But how long is this person contagious to others? ¿How long does it infect? an omicron positive?

The time during which a person with covid-19 is contagious depends, among others, on the viral load. According to the latest update from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the infectious burden begins to rise one to two days before the onset of symptoms Y drop two to three days later. Everything indicates, then, that the first five days after infection, and in general the first week of illness, are the moments of greatest risk for contagion. Especially if you take into account that, as several studies point out, ómicron is the most contagious variant detected to date.

Of course, according to several studies, these data cannot be extrapolated to the entire population. Research published by the UK health agency suggests that, for example, around 31% of people they still are contagious after the first five days of symptoms. As suggested by this work, after seven days this percentage falls to 16% and when ten days have passed, only 5% of cases with high viral load are detected.

duration of the disease

As a general rule, according to some reports, people who have been infected with omicron they stay sick for about a week. This is the reason why, in countries like Spain, the quarantine period for covid-19 patients is seven days. In the United States, the isolation period has recently been reduced to five days, the same as the peak of the infection is estimated to last, although the decision has been widely criticized by the scientific community international due to the uncertainty added by giving free rein to people who are still susceptible to infecting the virus.

Related news

The duration and intensity of omicron symptoms It depends, among others, on the vaccination status, age and general state of health. Typically, this variant causes symptoms such as cough, fatigue, congestion, sore throat, and headache which, on average, usually last about four days. The symptoms that last about three days are sore throat, sneezing and lack of appetite. Headache, fever, breathing problems, abdominal pain, and muscle pain are also common and usually go away after two days. Although, beyond these general lines, the course of the disease varies from person to person.