I Think I Have COVID-19

If I had COVID, am I contagious after my isolation period?

Heather Young, PhD MPH
Published: January 15, 2022

What is an isolation period? 

An isolation period, or the separation of sick patients from healthy people, is an important way  to protect others from infection. The length of isolation is based on the number of days that you are likely to be contagious. 

How long are isolation periods for people with COVID? 

Studies show that contagiousness is impacted by the presence of COVID symptoms. CDC has defined different isolation periods for different types of COVID cases. 

  • Isolate yourself for 5 days after your positive test OR first day of symptoms.
  • After day 5:
    • If your symptoms are improved and you have no fever for at least 24 hours without taking fever-reducing medicines like Tylenol or Ibuprofen, you can leave your house. But you should wear a mask around others for 5 more days. 
    • If your symptoms have NOT improved or you still have a fever, continue isolation until the symptoms have improved and the fevers have stopped. Then wear a mask around others for 5 more days. 
  • Although CDC says you do not have to test negative to end your isolation period, we recommend you take a rapid at-home test on day 5 to make sure you likely aren’t contagious. If your test result is positive, you should test yourself every few days and continue to isolate until your test is negative or until day 10 (whichever comes first).
  • If you are hospitalized or admitted to the ICU for severe COVID or are immunocompromised, your isolation period is between 10 and 20 days after your symptoms appear, as determined by your doctors. 

Am I contagious if I test positive for COVID after a full 10 day isolation period? 

Not likely! If you have completed a 10 day isolation period, you are likely not contagious enough to infect others, even if you still have mild symptoms. In fact, studies show that people who have recovered from COVID-19 can continue to test positive on PCR tests for up to 3 months, but are not contagious. 

Last update: January  7, 2022, 3:30pm ET

Science review: HAY, GSN