Although colds are incredibly common, they’re never pleasant. Dealing with congestion, a sore throat, and fatigue isn’t anyone’s idea of a good time. And just when you think it can’t get more uncomfortable, you realize you’ve passed your cold to someone else in your circle. While this is unavoidable in some cases, we asked doctors to explain how long colds are contagious and what you can do to minimize the spread of germs.
“A typical cold is most contagious during the first two to three days of symptoms, less contagious over the next seven to 10 days, and there may still be some contagiousness over the following week or two,” explains Matthew A. Weissman, M.D., a board-certified internal medicine physician and chair of the department of medicine at Maimonides Medical Center. “Hand-washing is really important to reduce the spread of disease.”
Meet the Experts: Matthew A. Weissman, M.D., a board-certified internal medicine physician and chair of the department of medicine at Maimonides Medical Center; Amesh A. Adalja, M.D., an adjunct assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; Richard Watkins, M.D., an infectious disease physician and professor of internal medicine at the Northeast Ohio Medical University; William Schaffner, M.D., an infectious disease specialist and professor at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.
Below, doctors explain more about what a cold is, how long it’s contagious, and what you can do to keep from spreading your cold to others (or getting sick yourself). Here’s what experts want you to know.
First, what is the common cold?
The common cold is a respiratory illness that can be caused by more than 200 different viruses, although rhinoviruses are the most common cause, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Viruses that cause colds can spread from person to person through the air and close personal contact.
You can also get a cold from coming into contact with respiratory secretions from an infected person, the CDC says.
What are the symptoms of a cold?
The cold can cause the following symptoms, according to the CDC:
- sore throat
- runny nose and congestion
- coughing
- sneezing
- headaches and body aches
- fatigue and brain fog
How long is a cold contagious?
It’s tough to issue a blanket statement on contagiousness with colds, says infectious disease expert Amesh A. Adalja, M.D., an adjunct assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “Colds are caused by a variety of different viruses and each has its own specific contagious period,” he explains. “On average, it is a couple of days, usually related to the degree of symptoms.” Worth noting: The CDC recommends that doctors consider the “duration of precaution” (a.k.a. the contagious period) to be the entire time you feel sick, at least with rhinovirus.
Even though most people aren’t tested for the type of cold they have, it’s still a good practice to assume that you’re infectious “while you are symptomatic,” says Richard Watkins, M.D., an infectious disease physician and professor of internal medicine at the Northeast Ohio Medical University. Basically, if you’re sneezing and coughing, you should at least think that there’s a possibility that you could pass your cold on to someone else.
That said, you’re likely most contagious in the two to three days after you first develop symptoms, says William Schaffner, M.D., an infectious disease specialist and professor at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.
Can you do anything to shorten the contagious period?
Not really. While Dr. Watkins points out that there’s some data to suggest that taking zinc lozenges right when cold symptoms start may help reduce the length of time you’re sick by a day, experts can’t say if that has an impact on how well you can pass on the virus to someone else.
“There’s no specific means that’s been proven to decrease contagiousness,” Dr. Adalja says. Dr. Schaffner agrees. “You just have to ride it out,” he says.
How to avoid spreading a cold
Doctors say there are a few things you can do to keep the people around you from getting sick:
- Wear a mask in public and around people in your household
- Sneeze and cough into the crook of your elbow
- Try to stay home as much as possible
- Wash your hands often
- Try to avoid crowds
“If you can, don’t go to work or school for the first couple of days,” Dr. Schaffner says, although he acknowledges that many people won’t do that. If you need to be around other people, Dr. Adalja suggests wearing your mask to help keep your germs to yourself.
Dr. Schaffner also points out that it’s a good idea to make sure your cold is actually a cold rather than a flu or COVID-19 with an at-home test.
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