The cumulative incidence continues to increase in Spain, according to the latest data revealed by the Ministry of Health. It is logical because of the entry on the scene of the new Covid variants, the BA.4, BA.5 and Centaurus that although they are less severe and have in most cases only caused mild cases, they are much more contagious than the parent variant, Omicron.
But the new variants have not only led to the arrival of the seventh wave to our country in midsummer, but they also gave a radical twist to what we knew so far about the virus. There are new symptoms, a shorter incubation time or changes in the durability of Covid in our body.
How long is the Covid now?
The latest French Public Health study indicates that symptoms with BA.4 and BA5., the latest Ómicron sublines that are increasingly present in global cases, they are reduced to four days from the seven that lasted with the BA.1 variant of Omicron.
In this sense, ‘The Lancet’ has pointed out in one of the scientific reports published in its journal that the symptoms associated with Covid-19 last three days less in people infected with Omicron. The study, involving more than 60,000 people vaccinated in the UK, determined that those who received two doses plus the booster suffered from symptoms of the variant for 4.4 days on average.
However, those who had received three doses and had been infected with the Delta variant, remained symptomatic for up to a median of 7.7 days.
Remember these are the most common symptoms in people with:
- Fever
- Fatigue
- Tos
- Sore throat
- Headache
- Muscle pain
- high heart rate
How long does it take for the virus to disappear from the body?
One of the questions that has arisen the most since the arrival of the pandemic is the time it takes for the virus to be eliminated from the body of an infected person. A recent report, published by BMJ Journalsfollowed the evolution of more than 4,500 inhabitants of the region of Reggio Emilia, Italy.
This population was chosen because it is in one of the points where the Covid started with the greatest force in Europe. The results concluded that the virus takes a long time to clear from the body. average of 30 days after first positive test resultand an average of 36 days after onset of first symptoms.
On the other hand, United States National Institutes of Health said in another study that the coronavirus can persist even months after the onset of symptoms, especially in cases associated with persistent Covid and long-term symptoms.
Thus, it is possible to give a negative test, even if the virus remains somewhat longer in the body and not contagious.