![]() Our study is the first to assess how long infectiousness lasts for, using real life evidence from naturally acquired infection." Dr Seran Hakki National Heart & Lung Institute "There is lack of clarity around how to come out of self-isolation safely. Previous studies estimating how long someone is infectious for have been a laboratory-based human challenge study or have used mathematical modelling. Most complete picture of the course of infectiousness to date She added: “If you test positive for COVID-19 or have symptoms after being in contact with someone with confirmed COVID-19, you should try to stay at home and minimise contact with other people.” Our findings can thus inform guidance as to how to safely end self-isolation.” Our study is the first to assess how long infectiousness lasts for, using real life evidence from naturally acquired infection. Despite this, there is lack of clarity around how to come out of self-isolation safely. Our evidence can be used to inform infection control policies and self-isolation guidance to help reduce the transmission of SARS-CoV-2.”Ĭo-author, Dr Seran Hakki, also from Imperial’s National Heart and Lung Institute, said: “There is no longer a legal requirement to self-isolate if you test positive for COVID-19, but most people still want to isolate until they are not infectious. He added: “Combining our results with what we know about the dynamics of Omicron infections, we believe that the duration of infectiousness we’ve observed is broadly generalisable to current SARS-CoV-2 variants, though their infectious window may be a bit shorter. This is fundamental to controlling any pandemic and has not been previously defined for any respiratory infection in the community.” By using special daily tests to measure infectious virus (not just PCR) and daily symptom records we were able to define the window in which people are infectious. Before this study we were missing half of the picture about infectiousness, because it’s hard to know when people are first exposed to SARS-CoV-2 and when they first become infectious. Study author, Professor Ajit Lalvani, Director of the NIHR Respiratory Infections Health Protection Research Unit at Imperial, said: “We closely monitored people in their homes from when they were first exposed to the virus, capturing the moment when they developed infection through until they ceased being infectious. "Before this study we were missing half of the picture about infectiousness, because it’s hard to know when people are first exposed to SARS-CoV-2 and when they first become infectious." Professor Ajit Lalvani National Heart & Lung Institute They also suggest that while lateral flow tests do not detect the start of infectiousness well, they more accurately identify when someone is no longer infectious and can safely leave isolation. ![]() The findings suggest that in people who develop symptoms, the majority are not infectious before symptoms develop, but two-thirds of cases are still infectious five days after their symptoms begin. The study team conducted detailed daily tests from when people were exposed to SARS-CoV-2 to look at how much infectious virus they were shedding throughout their infection. The research, which is led by Imperial College London and published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine journal, is the first to unveil how long infectiousness lasts for after natural COVID-19 infection in the community. First real-world study gives detailed new insights into when people with COVID-19 are infectious.Ī new study of 57 people with mild COVID-19 estimates how long people are infectious for and when they can safely leave isolation.
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