The incubation period for a common cold depends on the kind of virus it's caused by. The incubation period is at least two days and up to a week or two weeks depending on the cause.ymptoms can appear in just a few hours or as long as 10 days after exposure. The average incubation period is one to three days. Medications do not affect the incubation of a cold, nor do they eradicate it unless it is accompanied by a bacterial infection.