Many don’t think it is their responsibility to self isolate when they are sick. They seem to think that a “mild” infection can not spread.
Typical symptoms of a mild case of COVID include…
fever cough, fatigue, loss of smell or taste, body aches and pains, headache, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, digestive symptoms, including nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.
A case is considered mild if there is no shortness of breath or difficulty breathing. Research has found that about 81 percent of people with COVID-19 have a mild or moderate illness. Some people are asymptomatic, not even aware that they are sick and spreading the virus. Research found that people with a mild or moderate illness had at least one symptom for an average of 9.82 days.
So how long are people infectious? The amount of virus detected in the upper respiratory tract (nose and throat) peaked early on, generally in the first 3 to 5 days of illness. People with more severe illness seem to shed virus for a longer time. Individuals over the age of 60 appear to shed the virus longer than younger individuals. The virus is most contagious shortly after symptoms begin. However, some individuals may shed the virus for longer periods of time.
A study of 57 people with mild symptoms found, that the majority are not infectious before symptoms develop, but two-thirds of cases are still infectious five days after their symptoms begin. Lateral flow (at home) tests do not detect the start of infectiousness well, they more accurately identify when someone is no longer infectious and can safely leave isolation.