How long does COVID-19 last?
The duration of COVID-19 varies significantly – depending on the individual, the severity of the infection, vaccine status, and the presence of any underlying conditions. Here is a general outline of how long COVID-19 symptoms last for different cases:
1. Mild cases (most common)
- Symptoms: fever, fatigue, cough, sore throat, loss of taste/smell
- Duration: 5-6 days
- People with mild COVID-19 recover without requiring hospitalisation, and are fully better by two weeks. A few have symptoms (fatigue or loss of taste/smell) can last a little longer than two weeks.
2. Moderate to severe cases (unusual)
- Symptoms: shortness of breath, chest pain, confusion, pneumonia
- Duration: 2 to 6 weeks
- In more severe cases, symptoms may last longer, requiring medical care, sometimes hospitalisation. Recovery may take weeks or even months, depending on complications like pneumonia or organ involvement.
3. Critical cases
- Symptoms: respiratory failure, multi-organ failure, severe pneumonia
- Duration: can last several months or longer
- Patients with critical illness, often requiring intensive care or ventilator support, can experience prolonged recovery times, and some have long-term health complications.
4. Long COVID
- Symptoms: fatigue, brain fog, chest pain, difficulty breathing, joint pain, etc.
- Duration: defined as symptoms persisting for at least 12 weeks (after the acute illness). It can last for many months to over a year after the initial infection
- People that experience persistent symptoms even after the acute phase of the infection is over, are referred to as having Long COVID.
How long does someone stay infectious with COVID?
An infected person can transmit the virus up to two days before they experience symptoms, as well as while they have symptoms.
Also adults with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 can remain infectious for 10 days after symptoms begin.
Most adults with severe-to-critical illness (or immune suppression, e.g. patients with a transplant on drugs that suppress the immune system) will remain infectious for up to 4 weeks after symptoms begin.
