The coronavirus continues to spread very strongly around the world.
Infected people are highly contagious.
Especially in a phase of illness.
Anyone who
becomes
infected
with the
coronavirus
can also endanger others.
The
risk of infection
is particularly high at the beginning.
But a study gives hope.
St. Andrews - After being
infected
with the
coronavirus
*
, the
course of
the
disease
varies.
Some patients experience
symptoms
*
.
Others remain symptom-free, but are just as contagious.
Scottish researchers *
have now devoted themselves to
the subject of
corona infection
.
They investigated when the risk of infection is highest.
Together with her research colleagues, Muge Cevik from the
University of St. Andrews
found out: In the
first five days
after the onset of symptoms,
corona sufferers are at
the
greatest risk of infection *
.
Coronavirus: Risk of infection by infected people highest in the first five days
During this period, the
infected have
the
highest viral load
.
You are then
highly contagious
and should definitely go into
isolation
.
"This agrees with contact tracing studies, which indicate that most viral transmission events occur very early, especially within the first five days after symptoms began," said
scientist
Cevik
, explaining
the results of her study.
For their analysis, Cevik and her colleagues from the University of St. Andrews
collected data from 79 corona studies
.
The researchers turned their attention to the two
key factors
behind the spread of the coronavirus.
The new video series "#Corona Knowledge Compact" explains the ways in which #Corona virus can be infected & when and how long you can be contagious.
pic.twitter.com/y4kPor1Iqg
- BZgA (@bzga_de) July 15, 2020
On the one hand, the so-called
viral load
.
This shows to what extent the amount of virus in the body has changed due to the infection.
On the other hand, the
viral RNA release
.
It indicates how long a person sheds viral genetic material.
With their investigations, the researchers from Great Britain
gained
further
knowledge
.
Accordingly, the
coronavirus
stays
in the body for a very long time
.
For example,
genetic material of the coronavirus could still be detected
in breath and stool samples from the study participants even after a few
weeks
.
This was particularly the case for a long time with older and seriously ill subjects.
Video: Corona infection in your own household - how high is the risk really?
Corona: The risk of infection apparently disappears after nine days
However, the
risk of infection
seems
to disappear after nine days
.
Infectious viruses
were not found in any sample from a patient taken more than nine days after the onset of symptoms
.
Scientist Cevik is therefore convinced: Constantly repeated PCR tests only make limited sense with regard to the risk of infection.
A
positive test can
also
occur in
patients who
are
no longer contagious
.
The
risk of infecting
other people is
also high
among
symptom-free corona infected
people
.
They are no different from people with
corona symptoms
.
The Scottish study provided evidence that corona sufferers without symptoms can get rid of the virus material more quickly.
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