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How to Catch a Cold

Direct Contact

One of the ways with which the common cold virus is transmitted is by personal or direct contact. Direct contact constitutes hand to hand contact with an infected person, such as when the infected person touches an object that is passed on to another person. 

Once an infected person touches an object, even if inanimate, the virus will remain on such object for up to four days. Meanwhile, the common cold virus remains on the skin for up to two hours.

Aerosols of Respiratory Droplets

Another way to catch a cold is through the transmission of respiratory droplets that are released in the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Most of the studies today say that most cases of common cold infections are transmitted from aerosols of respiratory droplets more than by personal contact. It was also found that infectious aerosols produced by saliva more efficiently transmit the virus, as compared to the aerosols transmitted by the nose.

When the common cold virus is effectively transmitted from one infected person to another, the latter will develop symptoms after one or two days, with the symptoms peaking after two to four days.