What are the symptoms of COVID-19?

People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness.

These symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus:

If you develop emergency warning signs for COVID-19 get medical attention immediately. Emergency warning signs include*:

• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
• Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
• New confusion or inability to arouse
• Bluish lips or face

*This list is not all inclusive. Please consult your medical provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning.

How can I help protect myself?

People can help protect themselves from respiratory illness with everyday preventive actions.  

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a cloth face cover when around others. 
• Keep six feet of distance between yourself and people who don't live in your household
• Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or use the inside of your elbow.  Wash hands with soap and water immediately after. 
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces daily. 
• Monitor your health daily.

What to do if you have confirmed or suspected COVID-19

• Restrict activities outside your home, except for getting medical care.
• Separate yourself from other people and animals in your home.
• Do not go to work, school or public areas.
• Avoid using public transportation, taxis, or ride-share.
• Monitor your symptoms and call before visiting your doctor. If you have an appointment, be sure you tell them you have or may have COVID-19.
• If you have one, wear a facemask around other people, such as sharing a room or vehicle, or around pets and before entering a healthcare provider's office.
• If you can't wear a mask because it's hard for you to breathe while wearing one, then keep people who live with you out of your room, or have them wear a facemask if they come in your room.
• Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue and throw away in a lined trashcan. Wash hands thoroughly afterwards. Soap and water is best.
• Avoid sharing personal household items like dishes and glasses, or bedding.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for 20 seconds. If you can't wash your hands, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Rub hands together until dry.
• Clean all "high touch" surfaces every day, such as counters, tables, doorknobs, bathroom fixtures, phones, and keyboards.
• Use a household cleaning product to clean, following the manufacturer's recommendations.
• If you are having a medical emergency, call 9-1-1. Notify dispatch that you have or may have COVID-19
• Remain in home isolation for 10 days since symptoms first appeared, AND at least 24 hours with no fever without the use of fever-reducing medication, AND symptoms have improved
• If you tested positive for COVID-19 but have no symptoms, self isolate for 10 days since your test was taken and continue to monitor for and symptoms.  If symptoms appear follow guidelines above regarding home isolation. 

What to do if you were potentially exposed to someone with confirmed COVID-19

First, know that you generally need to be in close contact with someone with COVID-19 to get infected. Close contact includes scenarios like living with or caring for a person with confirmed COVID-19, being within six feet of a person with confirmed COVID-19 for about 10 minutes, or if someone with COVID-19 coughed on you, kissed you, shared utensils with you or you had direct contact with their body secretions.

• If you may have had close contact with a person with COVID-19 but are not sick
  • Monitor your health for fever, cough and shortness of breath for 14 days after your last contact with the ill person.
  • Do not go to school or work. Avoid public places for 14 days.
• If you are a close contact of a person with confirmed COVID-19 and are sick
  • If you are sick with fever, cough, or shortness of breath, even if your symptoms are mild, isolate yourself.
  • If you are at higher risk for severe illness (over 60, with underlying health conditions such as heart disease, lung disease, or diabetes), have a weakened immune system or are pregnant) call your health care provider. They may want to test you for COVID-19.
  • If you have symptoms but are not in a high risk category, talk with your health care provider. They will help you determine if you need to be evaluated.

What to do if you have COVID-19 symptoms but haven't been around anyone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19

• The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, cough, and shortness of breath. These can be symptoms of other respiratory illnesses as well as COVID-19.
• If you are in a high-risk category, and have symptoms of COVID-19, call your healthcare provider for advice. If you are at risk for serious illness, your healthcare provider may arrange a test for COVID-19.
• If you do not have a high risk condition and your symptoms are mild, you do not need to be tested for COVID-19. Do not go out when you are sick, practice excellent hygiene, and wear a facemask when you are around other people if you can.
• Cover coughs and sneezes. Avoid sharing personal household items. Clean your hands often. Clean all "high-touch" surfaces like doorknobs often.
• Monitor your symptoms and call your health care provider if symptoms worsen.
• Stay home and avoid others for 24 hours after your fever goes down and symptoms get better.

Things to Do While Quarantined

• Phone a friend- reach out via calls, texts, Facetime, and social media
• Work out at home- YouTube has an abundance of at-home workouts and some local yoga studios are offering classes through a livestream
• Read- download the app “Libby” and connect your library card. You can take out books and audiobooks through the app just like you would at the library.
• Cook/bake
• Take a walk
• Clean
• Start a journal or blog
• Complete a puzzle
• Watch movies/TV
• Teach yourself another language- use an app like “Duolingo”
• Meditation/mindfulness
• Go through all of your clothes- donate once the quarantine is over.
• Learn to knit or crochet- check YouTube for videos
• Play board games with your family
• Rearrange your furniture.

Prevention & Protection

• What you Need to Know About Coronavirus Factsheet (CDC)  [Spanish]
• Stop the Spread of Germs Factsheet (CDC)  [Spanish]
• Hand Washing Poster (CDC)   [Spanish]
• How to Properly Wash Your Hands Poster (CDC)  [Spanish]
• What is My COVID-19 Risk Level? Chart (NJDOH)
• How to Take Your Temperature Poster (NJDOH)
• Environmental Cleaning and Disinfection Recommendation Guidelines (CDC)
• COVID-19: Health Actions to Protect You and Your Family Factsheet
• COVID-19 Quick Facts Poster (NJDOH) 
• How the CDC Protects and Prepares Communities Infographic (CDC)
• Sequence for Putting on Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) (CDC)
• Recommendations for Masks and Cloth Face Coverings (CDC)
• Coronavirus Resources for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (NJ Dept. of Human Services)
• I am Deaf or Hard of Hearing - Coronavirus Communication Card (NJDOH) 
• Sign Language Videos - #COVID-19 ASL Video Series (CDC)
• Animal Related FAQ During COVID 19 (NJDOH)
• Animal Rabies Vaccination During COVID-19 (NJDOH) 
• What is Contact Tracing (NJDOH)

• COVID-19: Health Actions to Protect You and Your Family Factsheet (NJDOH) [Spanish] 

If You Think You Are Sick

• COVID19 Symptoms Poster (CDC)
• What To Do If You Are Sick Poster (NJDOH)
• When To Use A Mask Guidelines (WHO)
• 10 things you can do to manage your health Factsheet (CDC) 
• Instructions for Persons Who Test Positive for COVID-19(NJDOH)
• Instructions for Persons Who Test Positive for CODID-19 (NJDOH) [Spanish] 
• Instructions for Persons Who Test Negative for COVID-19 (NJDOH)
• Instructions for Persons Who Test Negative for COVID-19 (NJDOH) [Spanish] 
• Guidance for COVID-19 Patients Discharged from Healthcare Facilities (NJDOH)
• FAQs for Close Contacts of Confirmed COVID-19 Patients (NJDOH)
• Illness Comparison Chart: COVID, Strep Throat, Flu, Cold, Asthma, Allergies

Social Distancing, Quarantine, Isolation

• What is Social Distancing? Poster (NJDOH)
• What is the difference between isolation and quarantine? Factsheet (NJDOH)
• How Can I Prepare for Self-Isolation? Factsheet (NJDOH)
• Taking Care of Your Behavioral Health: Tips for Social Distancing, Quarantine, and Isolation During an Infectious Disease Outbreak Factsheet (SAMHSA)

• Coping With Stress During Infectious Disease Outbreaks Factsheet (SAMHSA) 
• How Long Do I Need to Stay in Isolation or Quarantine (NJDOH)
• Why You Can't Test Out of Quarantine (NJDOH)
• Why You Can't Test Out of Quarantine (NJDOH) [Spanish] 

Local, State and National Resources

• Centers for Disease Control - Info & Resources 
• NJ Dept. of Health – Info & Resources
• COVID-19 NJ STATE MAP - Cases by County
• 15 Days to Slow the Spread of Coronavirus COVID-19 (Whitehouse.gov) [Spanish]

To prepare for possible community transmission of COVID-19, the most important thing for schools to do now is plan and prepare. As the global outbreak evolves, schools should prepare for the possibility of community-level outbreaks. Schools want to be ready if COVID-19 does appear in their communities.

The severity of illness or how many people will fall ill from COVID-19 is unknown at this time. If there is evidence of a COVID-19 outbreak in the U.S., employers should plan to be able to respond in a flexible way to varying levels of severity and be prepared to refine their business response plans as needed. For the general American public, such as workers in non-healthcare settings and where it is unlikely that work tasks create an increased risk of exposures to COVID-19, the immediate health risk from COVID-19 is considered low.

Encourage students and employees to stay home when they are sick.

Reminder to Employers: Earned Sick Leave is the law in New Jersey!

As of October 2018, employers of all sizes must provide full-time, part-time, and temporary employees with up to 40 hours of earned sick leave per year so they can care for themselves or a loved one.  If you have questions regarding students who receive free or reduced lunch, you must contact your school district directly.

• New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) Novel Coronavirus (COVID-2019) Info
• New Jersey School Directory
• Guidance for Businesses (NJDOH)
• Interim Guidance for Businesses and Employers(CDC)
• Guidance for Child Care and K-12 Schools (NJDOH)
• Guidance for Public Health Related School Closures (NJDOH)
• NJ Office of the Secretary of Higher Education
• Considerations for School Closures (CDC)
• Monitoring and Movement Guidance for Managing Returning Travelers and/or Contacts of Confirmed Cases of Novel Coronavirus (COVID‐19)
• Guidance for Child Care Programs that Remain Open (CDC) 

Due to their often extensive and close contact with vulnerable individuals in healthcare settings, NJDOH recommends a conservative approach to HCP monitoring and restrictions from work to quickly identify early symptoms and prevent transmission from potentially contagious HCP to patients, HCP, and visitors.  Healthcare facilities (HCFs) should have a low threshold for evaluating symptoms and testing symptomatic HCP, particularly those who fall into the high- and medium-risk categories described in this guidance. HCFs, in consultation with public health authorities, should use clinical judgment as well as the principles outlined in this guidance to assign risk and determine need for work restrictions. 

To help HCFs document and assess HCP risk and exposure, NJDOH has developed the below series of tools and checklists:

• NJDOH Healthcare Personnel (HCP) Exposure to Confirmed COVID-19 Case Risk Algorithm (March 9, 2020)
  • This document can be used to assess the type of potential exposure HCP may have experienced while caring for the COVID-19 patient and assign risk level (High, Medium, Low or No Risk).  It also provides guidance on the management of exposed HCP.
• Retrospective Assessment Tool for Healthcare Personnel Potentially Exposed to COVID-19 (March 9, 2020)
  • This tool can be used to assess HCP exposure risk prior to the patient being identified as having COVID-19.
• NJDOH COVID-19 Healthcare Personnel (HCP) Exposure Checklist (March 9, 2020)
  • This tool can be used to monitor and assess the appropriate use of personal protective equipment (PPE) for HCP caring for the COVID-19 patient after they have been identified in the facility. 
• NJDOH COVID-19 Fever and Symptom Monitoring Log for Healthcare Personnel (March 9, 2020)
  • This tool can be used by a HCF or local health department (LHD) to assist HCP with daily symptom monitoring.
• Healthcare Personnel Exposure Line List (March 9, 2020)
  • This tool can be used by a HCF or local health department (LHD) track HCP under active monitoring.

Additional Resources:

• Public Health and Environmental Laboratories (PHEL) - https://www.nj.gov/health/phel/
• PHEL Supplemental Technical Bulletin 20.1.4: Testing for COVID-19 PUIs
• Guidance for Discontinuation of Transmission-Based Precautions and Home Isolation for Patients Diagnosed with COVID-19 
• Guidance for COVID-19 Patients Discharged from Healthcare Facilities
• Frequently Asked Questions: Close Contacts to Confirmed COVID-19 Cases
• OSHA's Rule Relaxation for Fit Testing and Use of Expired Respirators-Frequently Asked Questions
• New Jersey Department of Health Surveillance Criteria and Testing for Novel Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) (March 13, 2020
• New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) Monitoring and Movement Guidance for Healthcare Personnel (HCP) Exposed to Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 (March 9, 2020)