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Path to improved health

Viruses are constantly changing, which is common and expected. These are called “variants”. The Delta and Omicron variants are the most widespread in the country, and may cause slightly different symptoms. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is tracking these variants.

While COVID-19 most often causes respiratory symptoms similar to those from a cold, flu, or pneumonia, it can also affect other parts of your body.

What are the symptoms of COVID-19?

Common symptoms of COVID-19 include a fever, cough, congestion, and shortness of breath, chills, muscle aches, and loss of taste or smell. The CDC considers a person to have a fever when he or she has a measured temperature of at least 100.4° F [38° C]. These symptoms occur 2 to 14 days after being exposed to the virus. Many people who come down with COVID-19 have mild symptoms. These symptoms can make you feel like you have the flu or a cold. However, some people have no symptoms and others have severe symptoms. In some cases, COVID-19 can be fatal.

People who have chronic health issues or compromised immune systems, such as heart disease, lung disease, or diabetes, are at a greater risk of becoming seriously ill. Likewise, the older you are, the greater your risk of getting a severe case.

How do people get COVID-19?

The most common way to get COVID-19 is by inhaling respiratory droplets that are in the air. When a person with COVID-19 breathes, coughs, or sneezes, tiny droplets leave their mouth and nose and go into the air. You can’t see these droplets. If you’re within 6 feet of that person, you may breathe in those droplets. You won’t know you’ve done it. But by doing that, you may get the germs that cause COVID-19 in your body.

COVID-19 also can be shared if you touch a surface an infected person has touched. Some examples include door handles, elevator buttons and shopping carts. The germs can get into your body if you then touch your eyes, nose, or mouth.

How do I get tested for COVID-19?

If you think you have COVID-19, stay home and contact your family doctor to get advice on what you should do next. Information on COVID-19 testing options and availability continues to change. Currently, testing options are available at physician offices and health systems, local public health offices, pharmacies, and even some schools. There are also at-home rapid COVID-19 tests but availability may vary.

Stay home

If possible, stay in a separate room from others in your house. You want to stay away so you don’t make anyone else sick.

Contact your doctor. They’ll tell you what to do to treat your symptoms.

In August 2021, the CDC warned against using Ivermectin. Ivermectin is not authorized or approved by FDA for prevention or treatment of COVID-19. Taking Ivermectin for COVID-19 can cause severe illness when taken outside of its intended use.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the vaccines, and the CDC recommended the Pfizer-BioNTech’s coronavirus vaccine for people 12 and older, and the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines for people 18 and older. In August 2021, the FDA gave full approval to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, now known as Comirnaty. That means this vaccine is fully cleared for use in people ages 16 and older. The vaccine can also still be used under emergency use authorization for kids ages 12 to 15.

In most cases, the mRNA vaccines are preferred over the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. However, all three are available and effective at preventing severe disease and death, especially after a booster dose.

The vaccines protect you from getting very sick by keeping the SARS-CoV-2 virus from entering your cells and causing COVID-19. But the vaccines do not keep you from getting the virus and possibly spreading it. Also, it takes a few weeks after the second dose of the vaccine to get the best protection.

Read more about the vaccines in COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions.

What does a vaccine booster do and should I get a booster?

Everyone eligible should get a COVID-19 vaccine booster dose. A “booster dose” is a supplemental vaccine dose given to people when the immune response to a primary vaccine series was adequate but may have decreased over time. Data is showing that boosters increase vaccine effectiveness. Vaccine boosters are actually common ways to improve protection against a virus and especially support people at the highest risk for COVID-19 complications.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) recommend that fully vaccinated individuals get a booster shot for the best protection. Learn more about COVID-19 vaccine boosters.

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