How long does it take to recover from the coronavirus?

by Anagha Srikanth | Apr. 06, 2020

a young female nurse pushes a young male patient out of the hospital on a wheelchair, stopping to speak to a doctor

Story at a glance

According to the World Health Organization, it can take anywhere from two to six weeks to recover from the novel coronavirus.
The rate of recovery will depend on the severity of the disease as well as treatment.
Recovering patients can still spread the disease as their body discharges the virus and should remain vigilant.

More than 250,000 people — including some you may know — have recovered from the coronavirus, more than three times as many as the number of deaths reported as of April 6. Still, as new cases continue to be reported each day, it’s worth knowing what you’re in for if you’re diagnosed with COVID-19.

America is changing faster than ever. Add Changing America to your Facebook and Twitter feeds to stay up-to-the-second on the latest news and smartest insights.

With symptoms including tiredness, cough, fever, loss of smell, difficulty breathing and digestive issues, the condition ranges in both presentation and severity. Symptoms have been recorded to appear anywhere from 2 to 8 weeks, although some patients show no symptoms at all.

For mild cases, the median time from onset to clinical recovery is about two weeks —according to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) joint report with China on COVID-19 published on Feb. 16 — while severe or critical cases can take three to six weeks. According to preliminary data, it takes about one week for cases to reach peak severity, before subsiding.

READ MORE ABOUT CORONAVIRUS IN AMERICA

HERE ARE THE 6 WAYS THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC COULD END

HERE ARE THE STATES THAT HAVE TOLD THEIR RESIDENTS TO STAY HOME…AND THE ONES THAT HAVEN’T

MORE THAN 200,000 PEOPLE HAVE RECOVERED FROM CORONAVIRUS

HOW TO TELL IF YOU HAVE CORONAVIRUS

In China, patients were discharged after more than three days without a fever, symptoms were resolved, radiologic improvement and two negative tests taken 24 hours apart, according to the WHO report. However, viral transmission can still occur at this time as the body sheds the coronavirus through saliva, feces, urine and other discharge, so patients in recovery should continue to minimize contact with others and wear a mask.

READ MORE OF OUR BREAKING NEWS ABOUT THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

FAUCI PREDICTS ANOTHER CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK IN THE FALL WITH ‘VERY DIFFERENT’ OUTCOME

AT LEAST 8 STRAINS OF THE CORONAVIRUS HAVE BEEN DISCOVERED

CAN LYSOL OR CLOROX KILL THE CORONAVIRUS?

CAN YOU GET CORONAVIRUS TWICE?

CAN I SHOP FOR GROCERIES SAFELY DURING THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC?

HERE ARE THE BEST MAPS TO CHECK OUT THE CURRENT STATE OF THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC