The incubation period for COVID-19 is on average about 5 days. Symptoms generally appear between 2 to 14 days after exposure to the virus. This incubation period can vary slightly depending on the specific variant of the virus a person is infected with, and factors such as the amount of virus exposure and an individual's immune response. During this incubation period, an infected person may already be contagious. This 2 to 14 days range is why many health authorities recommend a quarantine period of 14 days after potential exposure to COVID-19 to prevent further transmission of the virus.
