Understanding COVID-19 Transmission
Overview of Transmission Routes and Periods
Get insights into COVID-19 transmission, incubation, and infectious period:
Transmission Routes
Key points from gov.uk website:
- COVID-19 spreads mainly through respiratory droplets produced by coughing and sneezing.
- Transmission can also occur through contact with contaminated surfaces.
- Aerosol-generating procedures pose an increased risk of spreading the virus.
- COVID-19 virus has been detected in stools and conjunctival secretions of confirmed cases.
Incubation Period and Infectiousness
Important information on incubation and infectious period:
- Incubation Period: Ranges from 1 to 14 days, with an average of 5 days.
- Most patients are not infectious until the onset of symptoms, similar to SARS.
- Infectiousness depends on the severity of symptoms and stage of illness.
- Some individuals may be infectious before symptom onset, based on case reports.
- Further research is needed to understand asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic infection.
- Most people have reduced infectivity 7 days after symptom onset, based on international data.