Are kids contagious during the “incubation” period if they are asymptomatic?

[Bewildered2021]

Silly question but I just wanted some clarification. If a child is attending school whilst living with a Covid positive sibling could they still be spreading it when they have not yet tested positive or are showing symptoms?

My DD’s classmate ( good friend ) was attending school for a whole week whist his brother was home with Covid. He then got a high temperature on Tuesday night and tested positive on a LF test Wednesday morning and naturally he is home isolating.

Could he have spread it to his classmates even though whilst he was at school he wasn’t coughing or sneezing? His first symptom was his temperature. I am aware of asymtomatic spread but what about presymtomatic spread? Is it the same thing.

Yes. I am no expert. But I would say yes spread before symptoms is what happens. Hence track and trace are interested in the contacts 48 hours before a positive test.

Yes they are definitely contagious while incubating.

Yes. That’s why contacts in the 48 hours before the positive test used to be asked to isolate (if the person with COVID had no symptoms). But for someone without symptoms, that’s a pretty arbitrary time point.

Thanks for the replies.I guess next week I will see if my Dd and the other kids caught it too.

Yes, I think I read the most contagious days are 2 days before symptoms and 5 days after.