The majority of persons with mild COVID-19 are still infectious five days after the onset of symptoms, according to a study, calling into doubt the NHS’s current advice on how long to avoid contact with others.

The new research calls into question the current NHS recommendation that individuals stay at home and avoid interaction with others for five days.

Two-thirds of subjects were still contagious after five days, and a quarter was still infectious after seven days, according to research conducted by Imperial College London.

The current NHS recommendation is for patients to stay at home and avoid interaction with others for five days.

If you test positive for COVID-19, you are no longer required by law to self-isolate.

A previous study indicated that the majority of those infected with the Omicron type of COVID-19 were unaware of their infection.

This is the first study to determine how long infectiousness persists following a spontaneous COVID-19 infection in the community.

Since 57 participants were exposed to the virus daily, the research team determined how much infectious virus they shed throughout their infection.

They located:

• Five days was the average length of infectiousness.
• One in five subjects was infectious before the onset of COVID-19 symptoms.
• Two-thirds of individuals were infectious five days following the onset of their symptoms.
• One-fourth remained contagious after seven days.
• Lateral flow tests cannot consistently detect the beginning of infectiousness, but they can be used to safely shorten self-isolation periods.

Dr. Seran Hakki, the co-author of the study at Imperial’s National Heart and Lung Institute, stated: “If you test positive for COVID-19, there is no longer a legal requirement to self-isolate, but the majority of people still choose to do so until they are no longer contagious.

“Despite this, there is a lack of clarity regarding how to safely emerge from self-isolation.

“Our study is the first to evaluate the duration of infectiousness using data from naturally acquired infections. Thus, our findings can influence recommendations on how to safely terminate self-isolation.”

She said, “If you test positive for COVID-19 or have symptoms after coming into contact with someone who has proven COVID-19, you should stay at home and limit your interaction with others.”