Try symptom checker to find out what you need to do.
COVID-19 is a new sickness that can affect your lungs and airways. It's caused by a virus called Coronavirus, which hasn't been seen in humans before. It was first found in 2019 in Wuhan, China, and has spread all over the world, leading to the 2019-2021 coronavirus pandemic.
Common signs of getting sick include breathing problems, fever, coughing, shortness of breath, and trouble breathing. The sickness can cause pneumonia, a serious lung infection, kidney failure, and even death in severe cases.
To stop the sickness from spreading, it's important to wash your hands often, cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze, and cook meat and eggs well. Also, try not to get too close to anyone who is coughing or sneezing.
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Spread occurs between people who are in close contact (within about 6 feet for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period) with one another.
A person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object with the virus on it and then touching their mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes.
Spread occurs through respiratory droplets that come from the mouth or nose when an infected person coughs, sneezes, sings, or speaks.
The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, tiredness, and dry cough. Some patients may have aches and pains, nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat, loss of smell, altered or lost sense of taste, or diarrhea. These symptoms are usually mild and begin gradually. Also, the symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure.
Symptom CheckerIf you start to feel sick or test positive for COVID-19, isolate yourself at home even if you are fully vaccinated.
This means you feel hot to touch your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature). It is a common sign and also may appear in 2-10 days if you are affected.
This means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or three or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual).
Around 1 out of every six people who get COVID-19 becomes seriously ill and develops difficulty breathing or shortness of breath.
Stay at home and call your doctor : If you think you have been exposed to COVID-19 and develop a fever and any symptoms, such as cough or difficulty breathing, call your healthcare provider as soon as possible for medical advice.
Regularly and thoroughly clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
Apply soap and rub your hands together
Use one hand to rub the back of the other hand and vice versa
Rub your hands together and clean between your fingers
Rub the back of your fingers against your palms
Rub your thumb using your other hand and vice versa
Rub your tips of your fingers on the palm of your other hand and vice versa
The FDA has approved the antiviral drug Veklury (remdesivir) for adults and certain pediatric patients with COVID-19 who are sick enough to need hospitalization. Veklury should only be administered in a hospital or in a health care setting capable of providing acute care comparable to inpatient hospital care.
The FDA continues to work with developers, researchers, manufacturers, the National Institutes of Health, and other partners to help expedite the development and availability of therapeutic drugs and biological products to prevent or treat COVID-19. To check whether FDA approves a drug, search the database of approved medications by visiting the Drugs@FDA database.
If you have possible or confirmed COVID-19:
To relieve symptoms and support your body’s natural defenses:
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