How long do symptoms appear after exposure to different respiratory viruses?

For both COVID-19 and the flu, 1 or more days can pass between infection and showing symptoms. However, COVID-19 symptoms may take longer to develop than the flu:

• Flu symptoms usually appear around 2 days after infection but can vary from 1 to 4 days.
• COVID-19 symptoms usually appear around 5 days after infection but can vary from 2 to 14 days.