How Long Is COVID Contagious? Here's What to Know If You Test Positive

How Long Is COVID Contagious? Here's What to Know If You Test Positive

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Here are today's top stories It's Saturday, Sep. 17th. 1 How Long Is COVID Contagious? Here's What to Know If You Test Positive If you are battling with a bout of COVID currently, you may be wondering how long you will be contagious. During a Facebook Live last month, Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady reported that recent studies have shown the incubation period — which is the number of days between infection and the onset of symptoms — for COVID has dropped to three days with recent, extra-contagious variants. "So if you go back to like alpha variant, beta, delta — early on, it was about a five-day incubation period on average. So, if you were exposed to COVID, on average, we were seeing people take about five days for someone to end up testing positive — and remember that went from four to five, out to 10, out to 14," she said. "The reason … we only use 10 days now, it is because that timing has shortened. And so, more recently with BA.4, BA.5, that's all the way down to about three days now. So on average, people are testing positive about three days after, but you can have someone positive up to 10 days." Read More → 2 Chicago Forecast: Warm Temperatures Stick Around With Possible Late Afternoon Showers Temperatures are certainly feeling the part during the final weekend of summer, as warm temperatures from Friday are expected to carry on through this weekend, though strong storms are possible throughout the Chicago area Sunday evening. The heat will persist through both Saturday and Sunday, with expected high temperatures of 85 degrees in Chicago both days. Saturday is anticipated to start out warm and dry alongside partly cloudy skies, with those conditions persisting until late in the afternoon, when intermittent showers in the north and northwest suburbs are expected. Read More → 3 Boy Thought To Be Kidnapped During Car Theft in East Chatham Is Safe, Police Say A car was stolen in Chicago's East Chatham neighborhood Friday evening, police said. Chicago police responded to a report of a stolen white Kia at approximately 4:53 p.m. in the 8000 block of South Ellis Avenue where an unknown offender broke into the vehicle and then took off, police said. Authorities initially said an 8-year-old boy was inside the car, however, further investigation revealed that there was no child involved in the incident. The boy is safe with his relatives, according to police. Read More → 4 2 Shot in Drive-By During House Party in Back of the Yards The men, 32 and 22, were standing outside among a group of people about 1:10 a.m. in the 4800 block of South Justine Street when a black SUV drove by and someone inside opened fire, Chicago police said. Read More → 5 How Many Migrants Have Arrived in Chicago Since the First Bus From Texas Was Sent? It's been over two weeks since the first bus of asylum-seeking migrants arrived in Texas from Chicago as part of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's "Operation Lone Star", which has sent migrants to New York City and Washington, D.C. as well. Since then, Chicago has received 654 migrants from Texas on 12 buses, with an additional 48 migrants arriving in the city on Friday. Abbott's policy has sent migrants to cities with "sanctuary city" ordinances that prohibit local law enforcement from detaining individuals based on their immigration status alone. Read More → 6 Legal Experts Explain Why the Pretrial Fairness Act Isn't a 'Purge Law' in Illinois Will there be a so-called "purge" coming to Illinois and Chicago? Across social media and in political speeches and ads, Illinois' elimination of cash bail as part of new legislation set to take effect in the coming months has been the source of misinformation, with some even likening it to the horror film "The Purge," in which criminal activity of all kinds is allowed for 12 hours. But according to legal experts, social media posts and conservative news outlets have been distorting how Illinois' Pretrial Fairness Act, which is scheduled to take effect Jan. 1, will work. Read More → Got a tip or story idea? tips@nbcchicago.com Follow NBC Chicago Unsubscribe from this Mailing | Unsubscribe from all | Privacy | Terms ©2021 Copyright NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations 30 Rockefeller Plaza - New York, NY 10112