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

Woman taking care of sick relative

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

Visit our Coronavirus Resource Centre for more data on coronavirus and COVID-19.

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

Symptoms of COVID-19

What are the symptoms of COVID-xix?

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

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

For example, COVID-19 affects brain function in some people. Specific neurological symptoms seen in people with COVID-19 include loss of smell, inability to gustatory modality, musculus weakness, tingling or numbness in the hands and anxiety, dizziness, confusion, delirium, seizures, and stroke.

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

What should I practise if I retrieve I or my child may have a COVID-nineteen infection?

First, telephone call your doctor or pediatrician for advice.

If you do not have a medico and y'all are concerned that yous or your kid may take COVID-19, contact your local board of wellness. They can direct you to the all-time place for testing and handling in your area. Over-the-counter tests may as well be available at your local pharmacy or grocery store.

If you do test positive and either accept no symptoms or can recover at home, you will still need to

isolate at habitation for five days
if you have no symptoms or your symptoms are improving afterwards five days, yous can discontinue isolation and leave your habitation
go on to wear a mask effectually others for v additional days.

If y'all have a fever, continue to isolate at home until you no longer have a fever.

If you lot have a high or very low body temperature, shortness of jiff, confusion, or feeling yous might pass out, you lot demand to seek immediate medical evaluation. Call the urgent care middle or emergency section alee of time to let the staff know that you are coming, so they can exist prepared for your arrival.

How do I know if I have COVID-nineteen, the flu, or only a cold?

Now that the Omicron variant of COVID-19 is the dominant strain, telling the difference is more challenging than ever. Even if yous take been vaccinated and additional, you tin still become symptoms, only 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 fourth dimension, people with "flulike" symptoms should assume they have COVID. If possible, adapt to become tested or practice a home exam. If the test is positive, you should isolate at home for v days. If you had a negative examination when symptoms started, it's nonetheless best to isolate at abode for ii to three more than days, to monitor your symptoms and prevent spreading infection. (That's because there is a take chances of false negatives with antigen tests, which means yous tin still have COVID with a negative test.) Consider testing again before going out. Once you are set to leave home, continue to consistently habiliment a mask for at to the lowest degree five more days.

COVID-xix Testing

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

According to the latest CDC guidelines, if you are vaccinated and boosted, or accept gotten your initial vaccine series inside the last six months (for Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna) or the final two months (for Johnson & Johnson), you should vesture a mask around others for ten days and take a COVID test on solar day 5, if possible. If you develop symptoms, become tested sooner and isolate at home.

If you are unvaccinated, had your final Pfizer or Moderna shot more than six months ago and accept not been boosted, or had your Johnson & Johnson bear witness more two months agone and take not been boosted, you should stay home for five days and vesture a mask effectually others for an additional v days. If you can't quarantine, wear a mask around others for ten days. Go tested for COVID on solar day 5, if possible. If y'all develop symptoms at any time, get tested and isolate at dwelling house.

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

PCR tests and antigen tests are both diagnostic tests, which means that they can exist used to make up one's mind whether you lot currently have an active coronavirus infection. Notwithstanding, in that location are of import differences between these two types of tests.

PCR tests detect the presence of the virus'southward genetic material using a technique called reverse transcriptase polymerase concatenation 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 DNA. The DNA is and so amplified, meaning that many copies of the viral Dna are made, in order to produce a measurable consequence. The accuracy of any diagnostic test depends on many factors, including whether the sample was nerveless properly, when during the form of illness the testing was washed, and whether the sample was maintained in appropriate conditions while information technology was shipped to the laboratory. Generally speaking, PCR tests are highly accurate.

Antigen tests find specific proteins on the surface of the coronavirus. They are sometimes referred to as rapid diagnostic tests considering information technology can take less than an 60 minutes to get the examination results. Positive antigen test results are highly specific, meaning that if you test positive you are very probable to exist infected. Notwithstanding, there is a higher chance of false negatives with antigen tests, which means that a negative result cannot definitively dominion out an agile infection. If you take a negative consequence on an antigen examination, your doctor may social club a PCR examination or a second rapid antigen test to confirm the outcome.

It may exist helpful to think of a COVID antigen examination as you would call back of a rapid strep test or a rapid flu test. A positive issue for any of these tests is likely to be authentic, and allows diagnosis and treatment to brainstorm quickly, while a negative result oftentimes results in further testing to confirm or overturn the initial effect.

How reliable are the tests for COVID-nineteen?

2 types of diagnostic tests are currently bachelor in the US. PCR tests detect viral RNA. Antigen tests, also called rapid diagnostic tests, find specific proteins on the surface of the coronavirus. Antigen test results may come dorsum in as trivial equally 15 to 45 minutes; y'all may await several days for PCR test results.

The accuracy of any diagnostic examination depends on many factors, including whether the sample was nerveless properly. For PCR tests, which are typically analyzed in a laboratory, test results may be afflicted by the conditions in which the test was shipped to the laboratory.

Results may also be affected by the timing of the test. For example, if you lot are tested on the twenty-four hour period yous were infected, your exam effect is almost guaranteed to come back negative, considering there are not all the same plenty viral particles in your nose or saliva to detect. The chance of getting a imitation negative test event decreases if you are tested a few days afterwards you were infected, or a few days after you develop symptoms.

Generally speaking, if a exam outcome comes back positive, it is most certain that the person is infected.

A negative test result is less definite. There is a college chance of false negatives with antigen tests, and early data suggests that antigen tests may be even more likely to miss the Omicron variant. If you have a negative consequence on an antigen examination, your md may order a PCR test or recommend a 2d rapid antigen exam to confirm the result.

If yous experience COVID-similar symptoms and go a negative PCR test result, there is no reason to echo the test unless your symptoms become worse. If your symptoms exercise worsen, phone call your doctor or local or state healthcare section for guidance on farther testing. You should also self-isolate at home. Wear a mask when interacting with members of your household. And do physical distancing.

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

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

Your body takes ane to 3 weeks after you accept acquired the infection to develop antibodies to this virus. For this reason, serologic tests are non sensitive enough to accurately diagnose an active COVID-xix infection, even in people with symptoms.

Antibodies and Spreading COVID-19

I've heard that the immune system produces unlike types of antibodies when a person is infected with the COVID-19 coronavirus. How practise they differ? Why is this important?

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

The COVID-19 coronavirus contains ribonucleic acid (RNA) surrounded by a protective layer, which has spike proteins on the outer surface that can latch on to certain homo cells. One time inside the cells, the viral RNA starts to replicate and as well turns on the production of proteins, both of which allow the virus to infect more cells and spread throughout the trunk, particularly to the lungs.

While the immune system could potentially respond to different parts of the virus, it'due south the spike proteins that get the most attention. Immune cells recognize the spike proteins as a foreign substance and brainstorm producing antibodies in response.

In that location are two main categories of antibodies:

Binding antibodies. These antibodies can bind to either the spike protein or a unlike protein known equally the nucleocapsid protein. Binding antibodies can exist detected with blood tests starting about ane week subsequently the initial infection. If antibodies are plant, information technology'south extremely probable that the person has been infected with the COVID-xix coronavirus. The antibody level declines over fourth dimension later an infection, sometimes to an undetectable level.

Binding antibodies assist fight the infection, merely they might non offer protection confronting getting reinfected in the hereafter. It depends on whether they are also neutralizing antibodies.

Neutralizing antibodies. The trunk makes neutralizing antibodies that attack the coronavirus'southward spike protein, making information technology more difficult for the virus to attach to and enter homo cells. Neutralizing antibodies provide more lasting protection than binding antibodies confronting reinfection.

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

Tin can a person who has been infected with coronavirus get infected over again?

The allowed organization responds to COVID-19 infection past stimulating white blood cells chosen lymphocytes to form antibodies that fight the infection. These antibodies and lymphocytes retain a temporary protective effect against reinfection. But it is just temporary. At that place have been many confirmed cases of reinfection with COVID-19. In other words, a person got sick with COVID-nineteen, recovered, so became infected over again.

This has been specially true as the coronavirus has mutated into COVID-nineteen 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 fifty mutations, including more than 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 accept been previously infected, and further reduces the risk of reinfection. Although breakthrough infections after vaccination are also more mutual with Omicron than previous variants, vaccination continues to protect well against severe illness.

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

Contagiousness of COVID-19

How soon after I'thousand infected with the new coronavirus will I first to be contagious?

The fourth dimension from exposure to symptom onset (known as the incubation period) is thought to exist two to 14 days. Symptoms typically appeared within five days for early variants, and within four days for the Delta variant. The incubation flow appears to be fifty-fifty shorter – well-nigh three days – for the Omicron variant.

We know that people tend to exist most infectious early in the course of their infection. With Omicron, most transmission occurs during the one to two days before onset of symptoms, and in the two to three days afterward.

Wearing masks, particularly indoors, can help reduce the risk that someone who is infected simply not yet experiencing symptoms may unknowingly infect others.

Tin 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 go along to have symptoms (asymptomatic). During this pandemic, we accept seen that people without symptoms can spread the coronavirus infection to others.

A person with COVID-nineteen may be contagious 48 hours earlier starting to experience symptoms. In fact, people without symptoms may be more probable to spread the disease, because they are unlikely to be isolating and may non adopt behaviors designed to prevent spread.

But what nearly people who never go on to develop symptoms? A study published inJAMA Network Open found that almost one out of every four infections may be transmitted by individuals with asymptomatic infections. The proportion of asymptomatic transmission appears to be even college with the Omicron variant.

Getting vaccinated and boosted once you are eligible is important for protecting non just yourself but others as well; bear witness suggests that y'all're less probable to infect others, or may be contagious for a shorter menses of fourth dimension, one time you've been vaccinated.

For how long after I am infected will I go along to be contagious? At what betoken in my illness will I exist most contagious?

People are thought to be most contagious early on in the course of their illness. With Omicron, nigh transmission appears to occur during the 1 to 2 days earlier onset of symptoms, and in the two to 3 days afterwards. People with no symptoms can also spread the coronavirus to others.

By the 10th day after COVID symptoms brainstorm, virtually people will no longer be contagious, as long as their symptoms have connected to improve and their fever has resolved. People who test positive for the virus only never develop symptoms over the following 10 days after testing are besides probably no longer contagious.

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

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

If you have a fever, keep to isolate at habitation until you lot no longer take a fever.

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

Yes, you lot tin can. That's why the CDC recommends that everyone who tests positive for COVID-xix should isolate from others for at to the lowest degree v days, regardless of their vaccination status.

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

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

Stay in another room or be separated from the person as much equally possible. Use a split up bedroom and bath, if bachelor.
Make sure that shared spaces in the dwelling house have skilful air catamenia. If possible, open a window.
Wash your easily ofttimes with soap and water for at to the lowest degree 20 seconds or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains sixty to 95% booze, covering all surfaces of your easily and rubbing them together until they experience dry. Use soap and h2o if your hands are visibly dirty.
Avoid touching your eyes, olfactory organ, and mouth with unwashed hands.
Yous and the person should wear a face up mask if you are in the same room.
Wear a disposable face mask and gloves when yous touch on or have contact with the person'southward claret, stool, or body fluids, such as saliva, sputum, nasal fungus, vomit, urine.
- Throw out disposable face masks and gloves after using them. Do non reuse.
- Starting time remove and throw abroad gloves. And so, immediately clean your hands with soap and water or alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Next, remove and throw away the face mask, and immediately make clean your hands again with soap and water or alcohol-based paw sanitizer.
Do not share household items such as dishes, drinking spectacles, cups, eating utensils, towels, bedding, or other items with the person who is sick. Later on the person uses these items, launder them thoroughly.
Make clean all "high-affect" surfaces, such equally counters, tabletops, doorknobs, bathroom fixtures, toilets, phones, keyboards, tablets, and bedside tables, every day. Also, clean whatever surfaces that may have claret, stool, or body fluids on them. Use a household cleaning spray or wipe.
- Wash laundry thoroughly.
- Immediately remove and wash clothes or bedding that have blood, stool, or body fluids on them.
Vesture dispensable gloves while treatment soiled items and go along soiled items away from your body. Make clean your hands immediately subsequently removing your gloves.
Place all used disposable gloves, face masks, and other contaminated items in a lined container before disposing of them with other household waste. Clean your hands (with lather and h2o or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer) immediately after handling these items.

Tin people infect pets with the COVID-nineteen virus?

The virus that causes COVID-19 does appear to spread from people to pets, according to the FDA, though this is uncommon. Inquiry has found that cats and ferrets are more likely to become infected than dogs.

If you become ill with COVID-19, it'due south best to restrict contact with your pets, just like you would around other people. This means you should forgo petting, snuggling, being kissed or licked, and sharing food or bedding with your pet until you are feeling better. When possible, have some other member of your household intendance for your pets while you lot are ill. If yous must care for your pet while you are sick, wash your hands earlier and subsequently y'all interact with your pets and wearable a face mask.

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

Long Term Effects of COVID-xix

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

Information technology does appear that people who recover from COVID-19 have an increased risk of developing other medical conditions, at to the lowest degree in the short term.

One study, published inThe BMJ, collected laboratory examination and hospital admissions data from a health plan in the US. The researchers compared data from more than 190,000 adults, ages 18 to 65 years, who tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus in 2020, to data from a control grouping that was collected in 2019, earlier the pandemic. The researchers followed the participants for vi months later they tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 and recorded any new health complications.

They plant that xiv% of people who had had COVID-19 developed a new medical event during the following six months; this was about 5% higher than the pre-pandemic control group, a significant deviation. New medical problems affected a range of body systems and included respiratory failure, aberrant heart rhythms, diabetes, neurological problems, and liver and kidney problems. Increased take a chance was seen in younger, previously healthy people, only was higher in older people and those with pre-existing medical problems.

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

These studies provide yet another reason to get vaccinated and boosted if you are eligible.

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

Long haulers are people who take not fully recovered from COVID-19 weeks or even months subsequently first experiencing symptoms. Some long haulers experience continuous symptoms for weeks or months, while others experience better for weeks, then relapse with erstwhile or new symptoms. The constellation of symptoms long haulers experience, sometimes called mail service-COVID-19 syndrome or mail-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-two infection (PASC), is not unique to this infection. Other infections, such as Lyme affliction, can cause similar long-lasting symptoms.

Emerging research may help predict who will become a long hauler. One study found that COVID-19 patients who experienced more than five symptoms during their offset week of disease were significantly more likely to become long haulers. Certain symptoms — fatigue, headache, difficulty animate, a hoarse vocalism, and muscle or body aches — experienced alone or in combination during the showtime week of illness also increased the chances of condign a long hauler, as did increasing age and college body mass index (BMI).

Though these factors may increase the likelihood of long-term symptoms, anyone can become a long hauler. Many long haulers initially have balmy to moderate symptoms — or no symptoms at all — and practice not crave hospitalization. Previously good for you young adults, not just older adults with coexisting medical conditions, are also experiencing mail service-COVID-nineteen syndrome.

Symptoms of postal service-COVID-nineteen syndrome, like symptoms of COVID-19 itself, can vary widely. Some of the more than mutual lasting symptoms include fatigue, worsening of symptoms later physical or mental activity, brain fog, shortness of breath, chills, body anguish, headache, articulation pain, chest pain, coughing, and lingering loss of taste or aroma. Many long haulers report cerebral dysfunction or retentivity loss that affects their day-to-day ability to do things like make decisions, take conversations, follow instructions, and drive. The mutual thread is that long haulers haven't returned to their pre-COVID wellness, and ongoing symptoms are negatively affecting their quality of life. A systematic review published in JAMA Network Open reported that more than than one-half of people infected with COVID-19 continued to experience at to the lowest degree one symptom six months after their diagnosis.

There's already some speculation, just no definite answers, about what is causing these ongoing symptoms. Some researchers doubtable that SARS-CoV-ii infection triggers long-lasting changes in the immune arrangement. Others propose that information technology triggers autonomic nervous system dysregulation, which can touch on centre rate, blood force per unit area, and sweating, among other things.

Blog posts:

Brain fog: Retention and attention after COVID-19
Could COVID-19 infection be responsible for your depressed mood or anxiety?
What is COVID-19 brain fog — and how can y'all clear it?
The tragedy of the post-COVID "long haulers"
The subconscious long-term cognitive effects of COVID
Which exam is all-time for COVID-19?
Allergies? Common cold? Flu? Or COVID-xix?

Podcast:

Y'all think yous've got COVID-19. Here's what you demand to do (recorded 4/10/20)

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 first to experience a dry out cough or perhaps spike a fever. Who practise you call? How practice y'all protect your family? When does it brand sense to move toward an emergency section, and how should we prepare? Dr. Marshall is the host of Harvard Health Publishing's online course series, and an urgent care physician at Mass General Hospital.

Visit our Coronavirus Resource Center for more than 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