People infected with COVID-19 can spread for 20 days, although they are more contagious two days before the onset of symptoms and for the next five days, says a study published in November, on the scientific portal “Lancet”.
The meta-analysis, which started from the study of other investigations, associates the severity of the disease with the potential for contagion: some infected people, who become very sick and who have a weaker immune system, manage to spread the disease for 20 days. Milder cases may take up to a week.
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The study also concludes that early detection of the disease is essential to contain the new coronavirus, as well as compliance with isolation: “Early case detection, isolation, and public education on the spectrum of the disease and the period of infection are the key to effective containment of SARS-CoV-2. ”
Patients with more severe symptoms should be in isolation for 20 days, counting from the day the symptoms first appear. Thus, the negative test is no longer necessary to determine the end of the isolation period.
