Latest COVID Guidance

What is COVID-19?

Here’s a fly-by lesson in virology terms:

• Coronavirus: a family of viruses that usually cause upper respiratory illnesses
• “The novel coronavirus” or SARS-CoV-2: the virus that has dominated our lives the past few years.
• COVID-19: the disease that is caused by SARS-CoV-2

COVID first gained global attention in January 2020 and…I think you know the rest.

Unfortunately, COVID covers a wide range of symptoms:

• Fever
• Dry cough
• Shortness of breath
• Loss of taste / smell 
• Body aches
• Sore throat
• Runny or stuffy nose
• Headache
• Chills
• Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea
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COVID Prevention

The best way you can protect yourself against COVID – both against infection and severe outcomes like hospitalization – is by getting vaccinated.

Additionally, if you’d like to take extra precautions to avoid getting sick:

• Wear a mask if you’re out and about.
• Wash your hands excessively and keep them away from your face.
• Keep your distance from others.
• Avoid large, indoor gatherings.
• If you are indoors with others, crack open some windows.
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Vaccination guidelines

The vaccination guidelines have been…a lot, haven’t they? Luckily, (in September 2023) the FDA and CDC released updated guidance: similar to flu vaccines, COVID vaccines will now be recommended once per year, in the fall/winter and is made to fight more current strains circulating at the time. These are available for anyone 6 months or older - again, just like the flu vaccine. AND you can get them at the same time.

COVID vaccine side effects

As your immune system ramps up to build antibodies against the virus, you may experience symptoms like mild fever, fatigue, soreness, swollen lymph nodes, chills or headache. Generally, these disappear within a day or two of vaccination, and it means the vaccine is working! If possible, try to schedule your vaccine for when you know you can take it easy for a few days. If you’re very uncomfortable, take Tylenol and soak in an epsom salt bath.

What to do if you feel sick

Because COVID symptoms cover pretty much everything, you should cancel any plans and get tested. At-home tests are the most convenient, but you could also go to the doctor’s office. 

If it’s negative, awesome. Personally, I’d still recommend staying home if you’re sick, regardless of COVID status. It’s always a good idea to keep your germs to yourself.

If it’s positive, isolation is in order…

Isolation protocols

You should stay home and away from others for 5 full days following the start of your symptoms OR the positive test, whichever came first. That first day, however, is considered Day 0. (Which technically sounds like 6 days of isolation to me, but I didn’t create the guidelines.)  After Day 5, you can leave isolation if you’ve fever-free for 24 hours without the help of medication, and your symptoms are resolving. But! Continue masking around others for 5 more days, even those in your household.

Technically, you don't need a negative COVID test to leave isolation, but it's not a bad idea to continue testing until you get a negative test.

Treatment if positive

If you are over 65 years old or immunocompromised, ask your doctor about a prescription for Paxlovid. Paxlovid is an oral antiviral medication to treat mild-to-moderate COVID. It has been shown to reduce the risk of hospitalization by about 90% among high-risk individuals. In order to be effective, it must be taken within five days of when symptoms start. To learn more, pop over to an article from one of our epidemiologists.

Otherwise, if your symptoms are fairly mild, you can stay home and take comfort measures that apply to many illnesses! Stay hydrated and manage your fever with medication if you’re uncomfortable. If you have specific symptoms you’d like tips on, we’ve got many articles on the blog that should help you out!

When to seek care

If you’re having a hard time taking full, deep breaths or are experiencing discomfort in your chest / ribcage, call your doctor, even if you don’t think it’s related to COVID.

If you experience any of the following symptoms, call 911:

• Difficulty breathing
• Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
• New confusion or inability to wake
• Bluish lips or face
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Long COVID

Some people who’ve had COVID continue to experience symptoms for weeks or months after their positive COVID test. This is very frustrating and there’s still a lot to learn. If you’re experiencing Long COVID, we have an article here that we hope helps.

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