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Jan 9, 2024 · You could develop a sore throat or runny nose only a couple days after exposure to the virus, or you might not feel sick until day five—or, if you’re lucky, you may not get infected at all ...
Feb 24, 2024 · According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), COVID-19 symptoms may appear anywhere from two to 14 days after exposure to the virus. A review of studies conducted from 2020 to March 2022 indicated an average incubation period for COVID-19 at six to seven days, ranging from 1.8 to 18.87 days.
- Overview
- Symptom timeline
- Other COVID-19 symptoms
- Duration
- Contagiousness
- Long-term effects
- Symptoms of different variants
- COVID-19 vs. flu
- When to contact a doctor
- Summary
Mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms typically last for up to 2 weeks. The timeline for symptoms can vary, but they usually begin 2–14 days after contact with the virus. A person may experience cold- or flu-like symptoms.
The type, severity, and progression of COVID-19 symptoms will determine how COVID-19 affects a person’s daily living. Some people may experience no symptoms at all, while others will require treatment in a hospital.
Keep reading to learn more about the timeline and progression of COVID-19 symptoms.
For more advice on COVID-19 prevention and treatment, visit our coronavirus hub.
There has been some research into the order that COVID-19 symptoms might develop. For example, a 2020 study in Frontiers in Public Health used statistical models to predict how COVID-19 symptoms might develop.
It is important to remember that symptoms will progress differently depending on the person.
According to the CDC, COVID-19 symptoms could include the following alongside a sore throat:
•fever or chills
•cough
•muscle or body aches
•tiredness
•loss of taste or smell
One 2021 study of 2,904 adults with COVID-19 found that the average recovery time was 16 days after infection. However, recovery times will vary from case to case.
Some symptoms may take longer to go away. For example, loss of taste and smell can last for weeks or months.
According to the CDC, most people can be around other people after 10 days since their symptoms first appeared, as long as they have not experienced fever for 24 hours and other symptoms are improving.
People with severe COVID-19 symptoms or weakened immune systems may need to isolate for longer. The CDC recommends up to 20 days of isolation after symptoms first occur in these cases. However, a doctor may recommend a different duration, depending on the case.
People with a positive test result but without COVID-19 symptoms are still infectious and should isolate for 10 days after the date of the test.
Learn how long a person with COVID-19 is contagious here.
Most people will experience no long-term effects from COVID-19.
However, others may experience long COVID. This is where symptoms persist for several weeks or months. The duration of time that symptoms must persist to constitute long COVID varies. For example, the CDC states that symptoms lasting 4 or more weeks constitute long COVID.
Long COVID can include any COVID-19 symptoms and can occur in people who experienced mild, moderate, or severe symptoms.
Learn more about the long-term effects of COVID-19 here.
There are many variants of SARS-CoV-2 that can cause COVID-19. Each variant is the result of a random mutation of the original virus.
The main variants of concern in the United States are the Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta variants. These variants spread more quickly than the original virus, which can increase the number of hospitalizations or deaths due to COVID-19.
The variants cause similar COVID-19 symptoms. However, some data suggest that the Delta variant is more likely to cause cold-like symptoms, such as:
•headaches
•runny nose
•sore throat
Influenza (flu) and COVID-19 are respiratory diseases with similar symptoms. However, the 2020 study in Frontiers in Public Health suggests that cough is more likely to be the first symptom of flu versus COVID-19.
Some symptoms are more common in COVID-19 than flu, such as loss of taste or smell. Both conditions can cause no symptoms at all.
SARS-CoV-2 can also spread more easily than influenza and causes more serious illness.
Read a comparison of COVID-19 and the flu here.
Mild to moderate cases of COVID-19 may not require immediate medical attention. However, it is critical to contact a health professional for symptoms that include:
•difficulty breathing
•chest pain or pressure
•confusion
•difficulty remaining conscious
•discolored skin, lips, or nails
COVID-19 can cause a range of symptoms for around two weeks. The order of these symptoms will vary from case to case. However, some research suggests fever is most likely to occur first.
Some cases of COVID-19 cause severe symptoms, which typically emerge after around a week. People with these symptoms must seek immediate medical attention.
- Aaron Kandola
Sep 25, 2023 · The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) state that symptoms typically appear 2–14 days after exposure. The findings of 2020 research on 181 confirmed cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection...
May 20, 2022 · Signs or symptoms of COVID-19 usually start to appear 2 to 14 days after infection. This is known as the incubation period. Early mild symptoms, like excessive coughing, sore throat, fatigue, headache, or fever, should not be ignored.
2 days ago · Symptoms. Typical COVID-19 symptoms often show up 2 to 14 days after contact with the virus. Symptoms can include: Dry cough. Shortness of breath. Loss of taste or smell. Extreme tiredness, called fatigue. Digestive symptoms such as upset stomach, vomiting or loose stools, called diarrhea. Pain, such as headaches and body or muscle aches. Fever ...
On average, symptoms showed up in the newly infected person about 5.6 days after contact. Rarely, symptoms appeared as soon as 2 days after exposure. Most people with symptoms had them by...