Are you still contagious if you test positive for Covid-19 after your symptoms have gone away? Recent research and studies suggest that the answer is no. While it is possible to test positive for the virus after your symptoms have ended, this does not necessarily mean that you are still contagious. Rapid tests and PCR tests detect certain proteins or genetic material of the virus in the system, but these proteins or genetic material alone do not cause infection. A pre-impression study of nearly 100 college students vaccinated at Boston University suggests that most of them were no longer contagious after five days.
This is in line with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) isolation guidance, which assumes that most people will stop being contagious after five days. It is important to note that testing positive for Covid-19 does not necessarily mean that you are still contagious. If you have tested positive for the virus, it is important to follow the CDC's guidelines for isolation and contact tracing to ensure that you are not spreading the virus to others.
