Infected with Omicron? That’s when you’re contagious

Since the beginning of the pandemic, one of the most important questions that scientists have tried to clarify has been the moment when infected people become infected with COVID-19. Although all variants work similarly, there are small differences.

In the case of Omicron, a highly contagious variant, scientists in recent months have been collecting evidence to come up with an answer that suggests that humans become contagious earlier than previous variants.

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Photo by Kay Lau via Unsplash

“As we’ve seen these new flavors evolve – Delta, now Omikron – we’re seeing everything accelerate from a COVID perspective,” said Dr. Chicago Department of Health Commissioner Allison Arwady told NBC. “It takes less time when someone is exposed to COVID to potentially develop an infection. It takes less time to develop symptoms, it takes less time for someone to become infectious, and for many people it takes less time to recover. Much of it is because many more people are vaccinated. “

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), people infected with COVID-19 become contagious days before and after their symptoms first appear. In the case of Omicron, AP News reports that this occurs sooner because the variant causes symptoms earlier than previous versions of the virus. This could also be one of the reasons the variant is so contagious.

The data suggest that Omicron causes symptoms three days after infection. This could mean that people could be contagious as soon as a day after contracting the virus. In previous variants of COVID-19, people were contagious two to four days after the first infection.

Once people are contagious, they are more likely to have positive tests, which increases the chance of getting infected earlier.

Take a COVID-19 test at home?  This could increase the accuracyPhoto by Mika Baumeister via Unsplash

Dr. Amy Karger of the University of Minnesota Medical School spoke to AP News and suggested that people test themselves on days three and five after exposure. “A lot of people get positive on the third day. Basically there is the possibility to catch people earlier than with the other variants. “

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If you have symptoms of COVID-19, you should get tested as soon as possible. If you think you might be exposed, days three and five after exposure are good times for testing that will allow you to catch the virus earlier and prevent it from spreading.

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