In an emergency situation, I accompanied a boy to the hospital after he fell from a building. Five hours later, he was declared COVID 19 positive. We were shocked because his main issues were trauma related, with loss of consciousness and inability to use his hands and legs. How reliable are RTPCR and Rapid Antigen Test results in such situations? How does this affect people like us who were asymptomatic but in close contact? Can an asymptomatic person spread COVID 19, and if yes, for how many days are they contagious?

Answered by 1 Apollo Doctors

Dr Bhanu Prakash

General Practitioner

MBBS
AFIH
Advanced certificate in critical care medicine
Fellowship in critical care medicine
10+ Yrs

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Asymptomatic individuals can spread COVID, especially 2 days before symptoms and up to 10 days after infection. RTPCR is reliable but can rarely be false.

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Answered 15/09/2025

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