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If you've been exposed, are sick, or are caring for someone with COVID-nineteen

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If you've been exposed to someone with COVID-19 or begin to experience symptoms of the affliction, you may be asked to cocky-quarantine or self-isolate. What does that entail, and what tin you practice to prepare yourself for an extended stay at home? How soon after y'all're infected will you first to be contagious? And what can you do to forestall others in your household from getting ill?

Visit our Coronavirus Resources Center for more than information on coronavirus and COVID-nineteen.

Jump to: Symptoms | Testing | Antibodies | Contagiousness | Long Term Furnishings

Symptoms of COVID-19

What are the symptoms of COVID-19?

Some people infected with the virus accept no symptoms. When the virus does crusade symptoms, common ones include fever, body anguish, dry coughing, fatigue, chills, headache, sore throat, loss of appetite, and loss of smell. In some people, COVID-19 causes more astringent symptoms like high fever, severe cough, and shortness of jiff, which often indicates pneumonia.

People with COVID-19 tin also experience neurological symptoms, gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, or both. These may occur with or without respiratory symptoms.

For example, COVID-xix affects brain role in some people. Specific neurological symptoms seen in people with COVID-19 include loss of odor, inability to sense of taste, muscle weakness, tingling or numbness in the hands and feet, dizziness, defoliation, delirium, seizures, and stroke.

In addition, some people take gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, such as loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and intestinal pain or discomfort associated with COVID-19.

What should I practise if I recollect I or my child may take a COVID-xix infection?

Starting time, call your doctor or pediatrician for advice.

If you practice not have a dr. and you are concerned that you or your child may take COVID-19, contact your local board of health. They can direct you to the best identify for testing and treatment in your expanse. Over-the-counter tests may besides be available at your local pharmacy or grocery shop.

If y'all practice examination positive and either have no symptoms or can recover at home, you will all the same demand to

isolate at dwelling house for five days
if you have no symptoms or your symptoms are improving after 5 days, you tin can discontinue isolation and leave your home
continue to wear a mask effectually others for v additional days.

If yous have a fever, continue to isolate at home until you no longer have a fever.

If you have a loftier or very low torso temperature, shortness of breath, defoliation, or feeling y'all might laissez passer out, y'all need to seek immediate medical evaluation. Phone call the urgent care eye or emergency section ahead of time to let the staff know that you are coming, and so they can be prepared for your arrival.

How do I know if I have COVID-19, the flu, or just a common cold?

Now that the Omicron variant of COVID-nineteen is the dominant strain, telling the departure is more than challenging than always. Even if y'all have been vaccinated and boosted, you can yet get symptoms, but they are likely to be mild to moderate in severity. For those not vaccinated, the risk of severe symptoms that tin can be life-threatening is still substantial.

At the current time, people with "flulike" symptoms should assume they accept COVID. If possible, adjust to get tested or exercise a home test. If the examination is positive, you should isolate at domicile for five days. If you had a negative exam when symptoms started, it's still best to isolate at home for two to three more days, to monitor your symptoms and prevent spreading infection. (That's because there is a chance of false negatives with antigen tests, which ways y'all tin still have COVID with a negative test.) Consider testing again before going out. Once you are ready to leave home, continue to consistently clothing a mask for at least five more days.

COVID-19 Testing

I recently spent time with someone who tested positive for COVID-19. I'm fully vaccinated and boosted. Exercise I need to go tested?

According to the latest CDC guidelines, if you are vaccinated and boosted, or have gotten your initial vaccine serial within the last vi months (for Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna) or the concluding 2 months (for Johnson & Johnson), you should wear a mask around others for x days and accept a COVID examination on day 5, if possible. If you develop symptoms, get tested sooner and isolate at domicile.

If you are unvaccinated, had your concluding Pfizer or Moderna shot more half-dozen months ago and accept non been boosted, or had your Johnson & Johnson show more than 2 months ago and have not been boosted, you lot should stay dwelling house for 5 days and wear a mask around others for an additional five days. If yous tin't quarantine, wear a mask effectually others for 10 days. Go tested for COVID on day 5, if possible. If you develop symptoms at whatsoever time, get tested and isolate at home.

What is the difference between a PCR test and an antigen examination for COVID-19?

PCR tests and antigen tests are both diagnostic tests, which means that they can be used to make up one's mind whether you currently take an agile coronavirus infection. Nevertheless, there are of import differences between these two types of tests.

PCR tests detect the presence of the virus's genetic cloth using a technique called contrary transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, or RT-PCR. For this test, a sample may be collected through a nasal or throat swab, or a saliva sample may be used. The sample is typically sent to a laboratory where coronavirus RNA (if present) is extracted from the sample and converted into Deoxyribonucleic acid. The DNA is so amplified, meaning that many copies of the viral Deoxyribonucleic acid are made, in gild to produce a measurable result. The accuracy of any diagnostic examination depends on many factors, including whether the sample was nerveless properly, when during the grade of disease the testing was washed, and whether the sample was maintained in appropriate weather while it was shipped to the laboratory. Generally speaking, PCR tests are highly accurate.

Antigen tests observe specific proteins on the surface of the coronavirus. They are sometimes referred to as rapid diagnostic tests because it can take less than an hr to get the exam results. Positive antigen test results are highly specific, meaning that if you examination positive you are very probable to be infected. Nevertheless, there is a higher chance of fake negatives with antigen tests, which means that a negative result cannot definitively rule out an active infection. If you have a negative consequence on an antigen test, your dr. may social club a PCR test or a second rapid antigen exam to confirm the issue.

It may be helpful to think of a COVID antigen test every bit you would call up of a rapid strep test or a rapid flu test. A positive result for any of these tests is likely to be accurate, and allows diagnosis and treatment to begin quickly, while a negative effect often results in further testing to ostend or overturn the initial issue.

How reliable are the tests for COVID-19?

Two types of diagnostic tests are currently available in the US. PCR tests find viral RNA. Antigen tests, also called rapid diagnostic tests, detect specific proteins on the surface of the coronavirus. Antigen test results may come back in as little equally xv to 45 minutes; y'all may wait several days for PCR test results.

The accuracy of whatsoever diagnostic test depends on many factors, including whether the sample was collected properly. For PCR tests, which are typically analyzed in a laboratory, test results may be affected by the weather condition in which the exam was shipped to the laboratory.

Results may too be affected past the timing of the test. For instance, if you are tested on the day you were infected, your test outcome is about guaranteed to come back negative, because there are non yet enough viral particles in your nose or saliva to detect. The take chances of getting a false negative exam effect decreases if you are tested a few days afterward you lot were infected, or a few days afterwards y'all develop symptoms.

More often than not speaking, if a test result comes back positive, information technology is nigh sure that the person is infected.

A negative examination outcome is less definite. There is a higher take a chance of false negatives with antigen tests, and early on information suggests that antigen tests may exist even more probable to miss the Omicron variant. If you lot have a negative result on an antigen test, your medico may order a PCR test or recommend a second rapid antigen test to confirm the result.

If yous experience COVID-like symptoms and get a negative PCR test effect, in that location is no reason to echo the exam unless your symptoms get worse. If your symptoms do worsen, call your dr. or local or state healthcare department for guidance on further testing. You should too self-isolate at home. Wear a mask when interacting with members of your household. And do concrete distancing.

What is serologic (antibody) testing for COVID-19? What can it be used for?

A serologic test is a claret test that looks for antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 created by your immune system in response to infection or vaccination.

Your body takes one to 3 weeks after y'all have acquired the infection to develop antibodies to this virus. For this reason, serologic tests are not sensitive enough to accurately diagnose an active COVID-nineteen infection, even in people with symptoms.

Antibodies and Spreading COVID-19

I've heard that the immune system produces different types of antibodies when a person is infected with the COVID-xix coronavirus. How do they differ? Why is this important?

When a person gets or is vaccinated confronting a viral or bacterial infection, a healthy immune system makes antibodies against one or more than components of the virus or bacterium.

The COVID-nineteen coronavirus contains ribonucleic acid (RNA) surrounded by a protective layer, which has spike proteins on the outer surface that can latch on to certain human cells. Once inside the cells, the viral RNA starts to replicate and also turns on the production of proteins, both of which allow the virus to infect more than cells and spread throughout the body, specially to the lungs.

While the allowed system could potentially respond to dissimilar parts of the virus, it's the spike proteins that get the most attending. Allowed cells recognize the spike proteins every bit a foreign substance and begin producing antibodies in response.

There are two principal categories of antibodies:

Binding antibodies. These antibodies can bind to either the spike protein or a dissimilar protein known as the nucleocapsid protein. Binding antibodies can exist detected with blood tests starting about one calendar week later the initial infection. If antibodies are constitute, it's extremely likely that the person has been infected with the COVID-19 coronavirus. The antibody level declines over time subsequently an infection, sometimes to an undetectable level.

Binding antibodies help fight the infection, just they might not offering protection against getting reinfected in the future. It depends on whether they are too neutralizing antibodies.

Neutralizing antibodies. The body makes neutralizing antibodies that attack the coronavirus's spike poly peptide, making it more hard for the virus to attach to and enter homo cells. Neutralizing antibodies provide more lasting protection than binding antibodies against reinfection.

Monoclonal antibodies are manmade versions of neutralizing antibodies. The FDA has authorized monoclonal antibody treatments for certain groups of COVID-19 patients.

Can a person who has been infected with coronavirus become infected again?

The allowed organisation responds to COVID-19 infection by stimulating white blood cells chosen lymphocytes to class antibodies that fight the infection. These antibodies and lymphocytes retain a temporary protective event against reinfection. Only it is only temporary. There have been many confirmed cases of reinfection with COVID-nineteen. In other words, a person got ill with COVID-19, recovered, and and so became infected once more.

This has been particularly true equally the coronavirus has mutated into COVID-19 variants. There was a rise in reinfections with the Delta variant, and an explosive increase in the reinfection rate due to the Omicron variant. Omicron has about 50 mutations, including more than 30 mutations on the fasten protein, the region of the virus that our allowed systems recognize after previous infection. Because of this, Omicron is more capable than previous variants of evading our immune defenses and causing reinfection.

We take learned that vaccination plus a booster dose strengthens the natural immune response, even in those who have been previously infected, and further reduces the adventure of reinfection. Although quantum infections afterwards vaccination are also more common with Omicron than previous variants, vaccination continues to protect well against severe illness.

The lesser line? Get vaccinated and boosted whether or not yous've already had COVID-19.

Contagiousness of COVID-nineteen

How presently after I'm infected with the new coronavirus will I start to be contagious?

The time from exposure to symptom onset (known as the incubation period) is thought to be two to xiv days. Symptoms typically appeared inside five days for early variants, and inside 4 days for the Delta variant. The incubation period appears to be even shorter – virtually three days – for the Omicron variant.

We know that people tend to be nearly infectious early on in the course of their infection. With Omicron, nigh manual occurs during the 1 to two days before onset of symptoms, and in the two to three days afterwards.

Wearing masks, particularly indoors, can aid reduce the take a chance that someone who is infected but not yet experiencing symptoms may unknowingly infect others.

Can people without symptoms spread the virus to others?

"Without symptoms" can refer to two groups of people: those who eventually do have symptoms (pre-symptomatic) and those who never keep to have symptoms (asymptomatic). During this pandemic, nosotros have seen that people without symptoms tin can spread the coronavirus infection to others.

A person with COVID-nineteen may exist contagious 48 hours before starting to experience symptoms. In fact, people without symptoms may be more probable to spread the illness, because they are unlikely to be isolating and may not adopt behaviors designed to prevent spread.

Just what about people who never continue to develop symptoms? A study published inJAMA Network Open constitute that nearly one out of every four infections may exist transmitted by individuals with asymptomatic infections. The proportion of asymptomatic transmission appears to exist fifty-fifty higher with the Omicron variant.

Getting vaccinated and boosted once y'all are eligible is of import for protecting not just yourself but others also; evidence suggests that you lot're less probable to infect others, or may be contagious for a shorter period of time, in one case you've been vaccinated.

For how long after I am infected will I continue to be contagious? At what betoken in my illness volition I exist virtually contagious?

People are thought to be most contagious early in the course of their illness. With Omicron, most manual appears to occur during the i to 2 days before onset of symptoms, and in the two to three days after. People with no symptoms can also spread the coronavirus to others.

By the tenth day after COVID symptoms begin, most people volition no longer exist contagious, as long as their symptoms have continued to improve and their fever has resolved. People who test positive for the virus but never develop symptoms over the following ten days later testing are as well probably no longer contagious.

The CDC'south isolation guidelines, updated in December 2021, reverberate this knowledge. According to the guidelines, everyone who tests positive for COVID-19 should

isolate at dwelling for five days
if you have no symptoms or your symptoms are improving later on five days, y'all tin discontinue isolation and leave your home
go on to vesture a mask around others for five additional days.

If you have a fever, go along to isolate at home until you lot no longer have a fever.

I'1000 vaccinated but got a breakthrough COVID infection. Tin I still spread the infection to others?

Yes, you can. That's why the CDC recommends that everyone who tests positive for COVID-19 should isolate from others for at least five days, regardless of their vaccination condition.

How can I protect myself while caring for someone that may have COVID-19?

You should take many of the same precautions as yous would if you were caring for someone with the flu:

Stay in another room or be separated from the person as much every bit possible. Use a dissever bedroom and bathroom, if bachelor.
Make certain that shared spaces in the home have practiced air catamenia. If possible, open a window.
Wash your hands often with soap and h2o for at to the lowest degree xx seconds or use an alcohol-based mitt sanitizer that contains threescore to 95% booze, roofing all surfaces of your easily and rubbing them together until they feel dry. Use soap and water if your hands are visibly dingy.
Avoid touching your eyes, olfactory organ, and oral cavity with unwashed easily.
You and the person should wear a face mask if yous are in the same room.
Wear a dispensable face mask and gloves when you touch on or accept contact with the person's blood, stool, or body fluids, such every bit saliva, sputum, nasal fungus, vomit, urine.
- Throw out disposable face masks and gloves after using them. Exercise not reuse.
- First remove and throw away gloves. And so, immediately make clean your easily with lather and water or alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Adjacent, remove and throw away the face mask, and immediately clean your hands again with soap and water or alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
Practice not share household items such as dishes, drinking spectacles, cups, eating utensils, towels, bedding, or other items with the person who is sick. After the person uses these items, wash them thoroughly.
Clean all "high-touch" surfaces, such every bit counters, tabletops, doorknobs, bathroom fixtures, toilets, phones, keyboards, tablets, and bedside tables, every day. Besides, clean whatever surfaces that may have blood, stool, or torso fluids on them. Use a household cleaning spray or wipe.
- Launder laundry thoroughly.
- Immediately remove and wash clothes or bedding that have blood, stool, or body fluids on them.
Wearable disposable gloves while handling soiled items and keep soiled items abroad from your body. Clean your easily immediately after removing your gloves.
Place all used dispensable gloves, face masks, and other contaminated items in a lined container earlier disposing of them with other household waste. Clean your hands (with soap and water or an alcohol-based paw sanitizer) immediately after treatment these items.

Tin people infect pets with the COVID-19 virus?

The virus that causes COVID-nineteen does appear to spread from people to pets, according to the FDA, though this is uncommon. Inquiry has constitute that cats and ferrets are more probable to become infected than dogs.

If y'all become ill with COVID-nineteen, information technology's best to restrict contact with your pets, just like you would around other people. This means you lot should forgo petting, snuggling, being kissed or licked, and sharing nutrient or bedding with your pet until you lot are feeling better. When possible, have some other member of your household treat your pets while yous are ill. If you must intendance for your pet while yous are sick, wash your hands before and later you interact with your pets and vesture a face up mask.

At present, it is considered unlikely that pets tin can spread the COVID-19 virus to humans. Even so, pets can spread other infections that cause affliction, includingE. coli and Salmonella, then wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water after interacting with your animal companions.

Long Term Furnishings of COVID-19

I had COVID-xix a few months ago. Am I at increased risk for health problems in the future?

It does appear that people who recover from COVID-19 have an increased risk of developing other medical atmospheric condition, at least in the curt term.

One study, published inThe BMJ, collected laboratory test and hospital admissions data from a health programme in the Us. The researchers compared data from more 190,000 adults, ages 18 to 65 years, who tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus in 2020, to information from a control group that was collected in 2019, before the pandemic. The researchers followed the participants for six months later on they tested positive for SARS-CoV-ii and recorded whatsoever new wellness complications.

They found that 14% of people who had had COVID-nineteen developed a new medical consequence during the following six months; this was about 5% college than the pre-pandemic control group, a pregnant deviation. New medical problems affected a range of body systems and included respiratory failure, aberrant centre rhythms, diabetes, neurological problems, and liver and kidney bug. Increased risk was seen in younger, previously healthy people, only was higher in older people and those with pre-existing medical bug.

Another study, published inNature, compared the health records of more than than 73,000 users of the Veteran'south Health Administration (VHA) who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 just were never hospitalized, to those of almost 5 million other VHA users who never tested positive for COVID-19 and were never hospitalized. For 6 months following the first 30 days after infection, people who had had COVID-19 were significantly more likely to die or to experience a medical or mental health trouble that they had never had earlier.

These studies provide yet some other reason to get vaccinated and boosted if yous are eligible.

Who are long-haulers? And what is post-viral syndrome?

Long haulers are people who take non fully recovered from COVID-19 weeks or even months later on get-go experiencing symptoms. Some long haulers experience continuous symptoms for weeks or months, while others experience amend for weeks, then relapse with one-time or new symptoms. The constellation of symptoms long haulers feel, sometimes called mail-COVID-nineteen syndrome or mail-astute sequelae of SARS-CoV-two infection (PASC), is not unique to this infection. Other infections, such as Lyme affliction, tin can cause similar long-lasting symptoms.

Emerging research may help predict who volition go a long hauler. 1 study constitute that COVID-19 patients who experienced more than five symptoms during their first week of illness were significantly more likely to become long haulers. Certain symptoms — fatigue, headache, difficulty breathing, a hoarse voice, and muscle or trunk aches — experienced solitary or in combination during the starting time week of illness also increased the chances of condign a long hauler, as did increasing age and higher trunk mass index (BMI).

Though these factors may increase the likelihood of long-term symptoms, anyone can become a long hauler. Many long haulers initially take balmy to moderate symptoms — or no symptoms at all — and do not require hospitalization. Previously salubrious young adults, not just older adults with coexisting medical conditions, are as well experiencing post-COVID-19 syndrome.

Symptoms of post-COVID-xix syndrome, like symptoms of COVID-19 itself, can vary widely. Some of the more than common lasting symptoms include fatigue, worsening of symptoms afterwards physical or mental activity, brain fog, shortness of jiff, chills, body ache, headache, joint pain, chest hurting, cough, and lingering loss of taste or smell. Many long haulers written report cerebral dysfunction or retentivity loss that affects their day-to-day ability to do things like make decisions, have conversations, follow instructions, and bulldoze. The mutual thread is that long haulers haven't returned to their pre-COVID health, and ongoing symptoms are negatively affecting their quality of life. A systematic review published in JAMA Network Open reported that more than than half of people infected with COVID-19 continued to experience at to the lowest degree one symptom vi months after their diagnosis.

At that place'due south already some speculation, only no definite answers, most what is causing these ongoing symptoms. Some researchers doubtable that SARS-CoV-2 infection triggers long-lasting changes in the allowed system. Others suggest that it triggers autonomic nervous organisation dysregulation, which tin can impact heart rate, blood pressure, and sweating, amidst other things.

Blog posts:

Could COVID-19 infection be responsible for your depressed mood or feet?
What is COVID-19 brain fog — and how tin can you lot clear information technology?
The tragedy of the postal service-COVID "long haulers"
The subconscious long-term cerebral furnishings of COVID
Which examination is best for COVID-nineteen?
Allergies? Common cold? Flu? Or COVID-19?

Podcast:

You think you lot've got COVID-19. Here's what you need to do (recorded 4/10/twenty)

We asked Dr. Mallika Marshall, medical reporter for CBS-affiliate WBZ TV in Boston and an instructor at Harvard Medical School, how we should react when nosotros kickoff to experience a dry cough or mayhap fasten a fever. Who do you phone call? How do y'all protect your family? When does information technology make sense to move toward an emergency department, and how should we prepare? Dr. Marshall is the host of Harvard Health Publishing's online course serial, and an urgent care physician at Mass General Hospital.

Visit our Coronavirus Resource Center for more information on coronavirus and COVID-19.

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Source: https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/if-youve-been-exposed-to-the-coronavirus