The Last of Us takes post-apocalyptic terror to a whole new level with the Infected. People who are infected with cordyceps turn into terrifying zombie-like creatures not long after coming into contact. Here’s how long it takes for a person to become one of the Infected.
How did the cordyceps outbreak begin?
HBO’s The Last of Us is based on the 2013 video game of the same name. The series is set in a post-apocalyptic world where the cordyceps infection causes humans to turn into zombie-like creatures. The most obvious way the infection spreads is through a bite or infected wound.
However, in The Last of Us Episode 3, Ellie asks Joel how the infection began. Joel explains the most popular theory. “No one knows for sure, but best guess… cordyceps mutated, and some of it got into the food supply. Probably a basic ingredient like flour or sugar,” Joel tells her.
“There were certain brands of food that were sold everywhere. All across the country, across the world. Bread, cereal, pancake mix. You eat enough of it, it’ll get you infected.”
How long does it take for bitten people to become Infected in ‘The Last of Us’?
The premiere of The Last of Us details the initial outbreak of cordyceps in 2003. The episode then jumps forward 20 years in time, showing what the world has become. The government’s understanding of the cordyceps virus has clearly grown in the 20 years since the outbreak.
Informational posters from FEDRA about the cordyceps virus detail the initial symptoms of infection. They include coughing, slurred speech, muscle spasms, and mood changes. The rate at which the infection takes over also depends on where the infected wound is located.
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If the infected wound is located on the neck, face, or head, the person will become fully Infected within 5-15 minutes. A wound on the torso, arm, shoulder or hand will result in full infection within 2-8 hours, and a leg or foot wound will take 12-24 hours.
This information comes in handy throughout the series. In episode 2 of The Last of Us, Joel and Tess realize that Ellie was bitten on the arm, but showed no signs of being Infected long after the eight hour window. Tess however, receives a bite on the neck and has very little time before the cordyceps infection takes over.
Cordyceps can’t infect people who are already dead
The Last of Us premiere also shows how harsh life has become to prevent the spread of infection. A child stumbles and falls outside the Boston quarantine zone (QZ) and is picked up by FEDRA Agents. The child is then strapped into a wheelchair and questioned. An agent scans the boy to check for infection and, when he tests positive, gives him a lethal injection.
Later in the series, Joel and Ellie come across a mass grave. Joel explains that the government rounded up people from the countryside to take to a QZ. However, if there wasn’t room the remaining people were killed. “Dead people can’t be infected,” Joel tells Ellie.
New episodes of The Last of Us drop every Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.
