It's been a year since coronavirus was detected in the UK - and new worryingly contagious strains of the deadly bug mean the pandemic is far from over.
New research is emerging about the virus everyday as scientists scramble to learn more about it how it infects humans.
One thing we do know is that if you can be just as contagious even if you’re asymptomatic - and must self-isolate if you've come into contact with someone who has tested positive.
So, how long are you contagious for with coronavirus?
Those who start displaying signs of Covid-19 and test positive for the virus are thought to be contagious for at least seven days from the onset of symptoms.
However it’s also thought that those who have the disease are infectious even before the onset of symptoms – with suggestions they could be contagious for around one to three days before becoming ill.
This is thought to be among the most infectious period for the virus, along with the first few days of illness.
Research suggests people are most likely to pass on coronavirus within the first five days of having symptoms.
UK scientists say patients had the highest levels of virus early on in their illness and "live" virus, capable of replicating, was found up to nine days after symptoms began.
How long should you self-isolate?
Current NHS advice for those who test positive is to self-isolate for ten days, and includes the day your symptoms started or the day you had the test if you are asymptomatic.
If you get symptoms while you're self-isolating, the 10 days restarts from the day after your symptoms started.
However, you must must keep self-isolating if you still have a high temperature or feeling hot and shivery, a runny nose or sneezing, feeling or being sick or diarrhoea after ten days.
Only stop self-isolating when these symptoms have gone.
You can stop self-isolating after the 10 days if either:
- You do not have any symptoms
- You just have a cough or changes to your sense of smell or taste – these can last for weeks after the infection has gone
Self-isolate immediately if either:
- You get a text, email or call from NHS Test and Trace telling you to self-isolate
- You get an alert from the NHS COVID-19 app telling you to self-isolate
Your self-isolation period includes the day you were last in contact with the person who tested positive for coronavirus and the next 10 full days.
It comes after new report from Imperial College London has warned that the new UK mutant variant, - known as B117, is indeed more infectious than previous variants.
Analysis of the data by Imperial College London researchers found that the new strain may be nearly 50 percent more transmissible, based on samples taken from nearly 86,000 Britons.
