5 Things You Need to Know About COVID-19

As cases start to rise again after our initial efforts to flatten the curve, you are either ready to throw up your hands, wondering what’s next, or are resigned to staying home for awhile.

“Plan A, don’t go in a crowd. Plan B, if you do, make sure you wear a mask.”

Dr. Anthony Fauci

But what if you do have to go out?

5 Things You Need to Know About COVID-19

While a lot of folks are making mistakes, it’s certainly not time to throw in the towel.

“It is important to remember that anyone who has close contact with someone with COVID-19 should stay home for 14 days after exposure based on the time it takes to develop illness.”

When You Can be Around Others After You Had or Likely Had COVID-19

Here are 5 things you need to know to protect yourself, your family, and your community until we finally get COVID-19 beat.

1. While people probably aren’t contagious if they don’t have symptoms, they can be contagious in the days just before they develop symptoms. Unfortunately, you don’t know when that might be, which is why it is important to self-quarantine after you have been exposed (or think that you might have been exposed) for a full incubation period.
2. Understand that SARS-CoV-2 is typically spread through close contact with someone who is infected (again, this is also in the days before they show symptoms). That means you can likely avoid getting sick if you practice social distancing (stay 6 feet away from other people), wash your hands often, and avoid touching your face, etc. To protect others, you should also cover your coughs and sneezes and wear a mask.
3. Protect yourself if you are caring for someone at home with COVID-19, limiting contact, shared spaces, and shared personal items, etc.
4. Avoid other people if you have COVID-19 until you are fever free for 3 days AND your respiratory symptoms are improving AND it has been at least 10 days since your symptoms first started.
5. Get a viral test for current infection (not the antibody test) if you think you are sick and want to get tested for COVID-19.

Why is all of this important?

Because there are still no real treatments for COVID-19, so while we wait for a vaccine, our best hope is simply to keep from getting sick.

More on COVID-19

• COVID-19 Vaccine Update
• Getting a Covid-19 Test Before Going to Summer Camp
• How to Self-Quarantine After Being Exposed to a Disease
• Why Are Social Distancing Kids Still Getting Sick?
• Should You Be Tested for COVID-19?
• The Second COVID-19 Wave Might Not Be COVID-19
• What is the COVID-19 Multi-System Inflammatory State?
• CDC – COVID-19 Contact Tracing
• CDC – What to Do If You Are Sick
• WHO – Q&As on COVID-19 and related health topics
• ECDC – Latest evidence on COVID-19
• Mapping COVID-19
• FDA – Q&A for Consumers: Hand Sanitizers and COVID-19
• CIDRAP COVID-19 Resource Center
• Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) information centre
• IDSA/HIVMA Statement on Potential Lifting of Social Distancing Guidelines
• COVID-19 trends in the United States
• We Still Don’t Fully Understand The Label ‘Asymptomatic’
• Share Facts About COVID-19

Last Updated on August 22, 2020 by Vincent Iannelli, MD