With the circulation of new variants of Covid-19, what is the incubation period of the virus? How long should I self-isolate if I test positive? Response elements.
Covid-19 cases have been on the rise in recent weeks. Figures from Public Health France attest to this: if, on average over seven days, 17,500 daily contaminations at coronavirus were recorded at the end of May, they are now just over 130,000. A spectacular increase which has reappeared among the population a whole salvo of questions about the virus that we thought was definitely behind us, in particular about the duration incubation and that of isolation recommended by specialists. With the appearance of new variants, have certain data changed? Have the rules evolved on these subjects? Lighting.
What is the incubation period for Covid?
This was the big question at the start of the Covid-19 epidemic: what is the incubation time for Covid? In other words, what is the time between contamination and the appearance of symptoms? The appearance of the Omicron variant has reduced this duration. According to data from epidemiologists, it takes about three days between contamination and the onset of symptoms related to the Omicron variant and its BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants.
How long should I stay in isolation if I am infected with Covid?
Since the appearance of Covid-19, given its contagiousness, it is very strongly recommended to isolate yourself if a screening turns out to be positive. However, the durations vary according to the profiles of the infected people, as explained by the Health Insurance. Duration which begins from the date of the onset of symptoms or the date of the taking of the positive test:
- Child under 12: 7 days
- Person with a complete vaccination schedule (3 doses or 2 doses and 1 infection): 7 days
- Person not vaccinated or with an incomplete vaccination schedule: 10 days
If, during the period of isolation, work cannot be continued remotely or if the symptoms are too severe to be able to telework, it is possible to obtain a work stoppage from health insurance, directly online. The terms and conditions are to be discovered in our dedicated article below.
To be sure you can get out of your isolation period without taking the risk of infecting anyone around you, Health Insurance asks you to carry out a PCR or antigen test to check if it is negative after 5 days for fully vaccinated people, against 7 days for those not or partially vaccinated. Moreover, the absence of clinical signs of infection may be sufficient to exit isolation.