From the Guidelines
Yes, COVID-19 can be contagious even when a patient does not have a fever. Infected individuals can spread the virus before developing symptoms (pre-symptomatic transmission), while experiencing mild symptoms without fever, or without ever developing symptoms at all (asymptomatic transmission) [ 1 ]. Temperature screening alone is not sufficient to identify all infectious cases. The SARS-CoV-2 virus primarily spreads through respiratory droplets and aerosols when an infected person breathes, talks, coughs, or sneezes, regardless of whether they have a fever.
Key Points to Consider
- The onset of symptoms occurs around 3–5 days from initial infection, with fever being one of the most frequently experienced symptoms [ 1 ].
- Pre-symptomatic transmission has been suggested as one of the features that promote the widespread transmission of the virus [ 1 ].
- The virus's ability to spread without obvious symptoms like fever is one reason COVID-19 has been challenging to control and why testing, even of people without symptoms, has been an important strategy in many settings.
Prevention Measures
- Public health measures like wearing masks, maintaining physical distance, ensuring good ventilation, and practicing hand hygiene remain important for preventing transmission.
- These measures are crucial in reducing the spread of the virus, especially in settings where people may be infected but not showing symptoms like fever.
From the Research
COVID-19 Contagiousness
- The provided studies do not directly address the question of whether COVID-19 is contagious when the patient does not have a fever 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
- These studies focus on the treatment and management of COVID-19, including the use of remdesivir and dexamethasone, and their effects on patient outcomes such as mortality, hospitalization duration, and viral clearance.
- None of the studies provide information on the contagiousness of COVID-19 in patients without a fever, making it difficult to draw conclusions on this topic.
Related Findings
- The studies do suggest that COVID-19 can be contagious, as they discuss the transmission of the disease and the importance of treatment and management to prevent further spread 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
- However, the specific question of contagiousness in patients without a fever is not addressed, and therefore, no conclusions can be drawn from the available evidence.
Limitations
- The provided studies have limitations, including their focus on specific treatments and patient populations, which may not be representative of all COVID-19 cases 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
- Additionally, the studies may not have considered the role of fever in contagiousness, which could be an important factor in understanding the transmission of COVID-19.