CDC : FAQs for General Public

For Health Professionals, visit the CDC: Healthcare Professionals: Frequently Asked Questions and Answers

What is the source of the virus?

Coronaviruses are a large family of
viruses. Some cause illness in people, and others, such as canine and feline
coronaviruses, only infect animals. Rarely, animal coronaviruses that infect
animals have emerged to infect people and can spread between people. This is
suspected to have occurred for the virus that causes COVID-19. Middle East
Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) are
two other examples of coronaviruses that originated from animals and then
spread to people. More information about the source and spread of COVID-19 is
available on the Situation Summary: Source and Spread of the Virus.

How
does the virus spread?

This virus was first detected in
Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China. The first infections were linked to a live
animal market, but the virus is now spreading from person-to-person. It’s
important to note that person-to-person spread can happen on a continuum. Some
viruses are highly contagious (like measles), while other viruses are less so.

The virus that causes COVID-19 seems
to be spreading easily and sustainably in the community (“community spread”) in
some affected geographic areas. Community spread means people have been infected with the
virus in an area, including some who are not sure how or where they became
infected.

Learn what is known about the spread of newly emerged coronaviruses.

Can
someone who has had COVID-19 spread the illness to others?

The virus that causes COVID-19 is spreading from person-to-person. Someone who is actively sick with COVID-19 can spread the
illness to others. That is why CDC recommends that these patients be isolated
either in the hospital or at home (depending on how sick they are) until they
are better and no longer pose a risk of infecting others.

How long someone is actively sick
can vary so the decision on when to release someone from isolation is made on a
case-by-case basis in consultation with doctors, infection prevention and
control experts, and public health officials and involves considering specifics
of each situation including disease severity, illness signs and symptoms, and
results of laboratory testing for that patient.

Current CDC guidance for when it is OK to release someone
from isolation is made on a case by case
basis and includes meeting all of the following requirements:

• The patient is free from fever without the use of
  fever-reducing medications.
• The patient is no longer showing symptoms, including
  cough.
• The patient has tested negative on at least two
  consecutive respiratory specimens collected at least 24 hours apart.

Someone who has been released from
isolation is not considered to pose a risk of infection to others.

Can
someone who has been quarantined for COVID-19 spread the illness to others?

Quarantine means separating a person
or group of people who have been exposed to a contagious disease but have not
developed illness (symptoms) from others who have not been exposed, in order to
prevent the possible spread of that disease. Quarantine is usually established
for the incubation period of the communicable disease, which is the span of
time during which people have developed illness after exposure. For COVID-19,
the period of quarantine is 14 days from the last date of exposure, because 14
days is the longest incubation period seen for similar coronaviruses. Someone
who has been released from COVID-19 quarantine is not considered a risk for
spreading the virus to others because they have not developed illness during
the incubation period.

Will warm weather stop the outbreak
of COVID-19

It is not yet known whether weather and temperature impact the spread of
COVID-19. Some other viruses, like the common cold and flu, spread more during
cold weather months but that does not mean it is impossible to become sick with
these viruses during other months.  At this time, it is not known whether
the spread of COVID-19 will decrease when weather becomes warmer.  There
is much more to learn about the transmissibility, severity, and other features
associated with COVID-19 and investigations are ongoing.

What
is community spread

Community spread means people have been infected with the virus in an area,
including some who are not sure how or where they became infected.