Knowing the incubation period and how long you’re contagious is important when contracting an illness, especially one like COVID-19. We can limit the spread of the virus if we better understand when someone is at their most contagious to prevent passing it on to a family member or friend. Keep reading to understand what an incubation period is, the timeline for COVID-19, and when you’re most contagious.

What Is an Incubation Period?

An incubation period is the number of days between when you were first infected by a virus and when you first see symptoms appear. During this time, the individual, even with no signs or symptoms, could carry the virus and pass it on to others. Knowing this incubation period helps healthcare professionals determine how long someone needs to stay away from others after contracting an illness.

Incubation Period for COVID-19

The original variant of COVID-19 has a different incubation period than other variants—meaning you could be contagious longer depending on the strain. Symptoms of the original strain showed up in a newly infected person five days after they had contact with the virus. Omicron has a shorter period of around three days. However, some may not have symptoms but can still carry the virus to the next person.

Are You Still Contagious After Five Days?

Generally, if you contract COVID-19, you are no longer contagious after the incubation period or after being fever-free for three days. The most infectious times are one to two days before symptoms show and two to three days after. If you believe you have the virus, you can visit our Raleigh COVID testing site. Still, you must understand that testing immediately after exposure could result in a false negative, so you must wait five days.

If symptoms appear, do not hesitate to perform an at-home test or visit AFC Urgent Care’s testing site. Remember, if you believe you were exposed to COVID-19, wait at least five days to test yourself, or you might receive a false negative. Understanding the way this virus works will help prevent and minimize the spread.