A question: How soon after infection with Covid-19 can it be detected?

[Miigwech]

Even with the tests that say yesterday you were not infected but today you are. White House folks are infected, including Secret Service. Can they get a handle on this outbreak or are the infections baked in?

[hlthe2b]

1. Anywhere between 2 and 14 days post exposure, mean and median around 5 days, BUT

it varies depending on magnitude ("dose" ) of virus particles constituting the exposure.

[mchill]

2. The 2-14 days I believe is time to symptoms

That’s different from time to detection. There are people who test negative with symptoms and people who test positive without symptoms and 15% are false negatives with the Abbot quick turnaround tests. It all seems like a crap shoot.

[hlthe2b]

3. No... it is not. Detection is dependent on viral load, time from infection.

Last edited Sun May 10, 2020, 07:48 AM - Edit history (2)

The incubation period correlates with both times when viral load is increasing and thus infection can be documented via RT-PCR antigen testing as well as initial symptoms.

[mchill]

6. Not my understanding

[hlthe2b]

7. This is my field.

[JI7]

4. testing itself isn't going to lower risk of infection, especially when you aren't following certain

recommendations to actually lower the risk of infection in the first place.

testing will just let you know if/when you got infected.

[LisaL]

5. No clue.

There have been cases of people testing negative (multiple times) but already showing symptoms.
Dr. Li Wenliang is an example of that. Of course he eventually died from covid.