Covid – Count the Days – 2; 5-6; 14

With Covid-19, the key numbers are two days, five to six days, and 14 days. (The following information was taken from   “Healthcare” by Bruce Y. Lee, Senior Contributor).

Two Days, the Latent period: This is the period of time between getting infected with the virus and first becoming contagious. The virus, like the cotton boll weevil, has to get a foothold in your body and make enough copies of itself to get ready to do damage.  You feel fine.

Five to six days, the Incubation period: you have been infected and enough time has passed for the virus to cause symptoms.  In other words:  you become sick and you know it!

Symptomatic period: This is the time from the end of the incubation period when you first start having symptoms to when your symptoms resolve. So far, so good; it takes 5-6 days for symptoms to show.  You may not even know you are “sick” during this 5-6 day period. And then this period doesn’t end until you are free from symptoms: up to 14 days or  more.

Now let’s muddy the waters: The Infectious or contagious period: This is the time from the end of the latency period when you first become contagious until you are no longer contagious.  Ignore the incubation and the symptomatic periods for now. From that first invasion by the boll weevil: you are contagious.  You don’t know it and neither does anyone else! During this time, you will have an infectious personality and you can spread the virus to others.

You aren’t immediately infectious once the Covid-19 coronavirus gets inside your body. It has to get into your respiratory tract and begin to reproduce. But once enough new viruses are produced and released: you are contagious. As Bruce Lee says, “Symptoms, if you end up having them, won’t come until later when your immune system says, “WTH,” and starts mobilizing against the virus.” You are shedding virus at least one to two days before you develop symptoms. In fact, you may be most contagious during the period between the end of the latent period and the end of the incubation period.

Studies have suggested that the incubation period can last anywhere from two days to 14 days. This is why the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been recommending that you quarantine yourself for at least 14 days after close contact with someone who is infected with the Covid-19 coronavirus  (Current advice lowers this.)

In other words, on average you will develop symptoms five to six days after you’ve been infected with the virus.  A majority of those infected will have an incubation period of seven days or less. And potentially over 90% of those infected will have an incubation period of ten days or less.

One other warning: you can be Asymptomatic.  That means you are sick, you are contagious but you have NO symptoms. And while you may feel okay, you ae possibly the most dangerous of all!

Confused?  Join the crowd.  Wear your mask.  Six feet apart.  And pray for those who have been caught by the Covid 19 boll weevil.