COVID-19 FAQ
COVID-19 FAQ
If you’re sick or have symptoms of COVID-19, you should get tested immediately and isolate until you know your results, even if you are fully vaccinated. To get tested, call your healthcare provider, take an at-home test, or find a testing site near you.
If you test positive, follow these recommendations:
- Stay home and away from others
- Once symptoms improve and you are fever free for at least 24 hours, you can consider returning to normal activities
- Take precautions for the next 5 days:
- Wear a well-fitting mask
- Take steps for cleaner air
- Enhance hygiene practices
- Keep a distance from others
- Get tested to inform your actions to prevent spread to others
If you have had confirmed or suspected close contact with someone who has COVID-19, take precaution for 10 days around others in indoor settings and take a COVID-19 test five days after the exposure, or sooner if you develop symptoms.
Even if you are fully vaccinated, it is recommended that you test if you develop symptoms or have been exposed to someone with a confirmed case of COVID-19.
Yes. You should get the vaccine even if you have already had COVID-19. Some people have gotten COVID-19 more than once. The vaccine also offers more protection against reinfection than your body could develop on its own from already having COVID-19. You can get vaccinated as soon as you are out of your isolation period and are feeling better.
Similar to the flu vaccine, it will take a few weeks after completing the COVID-19 vaccine before your body builds up the immune response to protect against COVID-19. No vaccine is 100% protective, and they are less effective at preventing infection with newer variants. However, vaccines continue to be highly protective against severe outcomes related to COVID-19, including hospitalization and death.
No one actively fighting off COVID-19 or any acute disease should get boosted or vaccinated for any condition while in recovery. Immunization requires much of an individual's reserves, and even asymptomatic individuals could quickly become symptomatic.
The best time to get vaccinated is after 10 days without disease, or if asymptomatic, or after COVID symptoms are resolved (usually 10-14 days from the onset of symptoms).
“Mix and match” dosing is allowed for children 5 years of age and older. Children 6 months – 4 years of age who previously completed a primary series with one brand may switch to a different brand when receiving an updated dose, if the brand used for the primary series is not readily available on the day of vaccination. Whenever possible, use the same brand for all recommended doses in a primary series for children 6 months – 4 years of age. If not possible, use of another brand is acceptable.
People who are moderately or severely immunocompromised may get additional doses of the updated COVID-19 vaccine 2 or more months after getting the last updated COVID-19 vaccine.
Yes. COVID-19 vaccines are safe to co-administer with many other vaccines on the same day, including the flu vaccine. They can either be given one in each arm or spaced out on the same arm.
Having some side effects isn't necessarily a bad thing. Vaccinations may cause mild COVID-19-like symptoms, but this is a sign your immune system is responding to the vaccine. The vaccine does not contain a live virus and cannot give you COVID-19. The most common side effects are fever, chills, tiredness, or headache. At the injection site, you may experience pain, redness or swelling. Although these side effects may be unpleasant for 1-3 days, they are not dangerous. People with a history of significant allergic reactions to vaccines, food, or medicine should consult with their doctor before receiving the vaccine.
While fewer children have been sick with COVID-19 compared to adults, children can be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19, can get sick from COVID-19, and can spread the virus that causes COVID-19 to others. Getting vaccinated is the best way to protect your children and those around them from COVID-19.
No. Parents and caregivers should get their child (6 months and older) vaccinated as soon as possible to provide the best protection against serious illness.
Since April 2021, there have been less than one thousand confirmed reports of cases of inflammation of the heart – called myocarditis and pericarditis – happening after mRNA COVID-19 vaccination for people under 30. These reports are rare given the hundreds of millions of vaccine doses administered.
CDC and its partners are actively monitoring these reports, by reviewing data and medical records, to learn more about what happened and to see if there is any relationship to COVID-19 vaccination. Most patients who received care responded well with treatment and rest and quickly felt better. Cases of myocarditis or pericarditis have been predominantly in males age 12-29 years. Symptoms (including chest pain, pressure, heart palpitations, and difficulty breathing after exercise or when lying down) typically develop within a few days after receipt of the second dose of vaccine.
CDC continues to recommend COVID-19 vaccination for everyone 6 months of age and older, given the greater risk of COVID-19 illness and related, possibly severe complications. Talk to your healthcare provider if you have concerns about myocarditis.
If you are pregnant or were recently pregnant, you are more likely to get very sick from COVID-19 compared to people who are not pregnant. Therefore, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), and Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) all strongly recommend you to receive the COVID-19 vaccination, either before or during pregnancy. This includes the new bivalent mRNA booster vaccine.
Yes. Getting a COVID-19 vaccine reduces your risk of getting COVID-19 and spreading it to others, including your baby. Studies of people who are pregnant and got the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines found antibodies in babies’ cord blood and pregnant people’s breast milk. Another recent study showed maternal vaccination with two doses of mRNA vaccine was associated with a reduced risk of hospitalization for COVID-19, including for critical illness, among infants younger than 6 months of age.
Maternal Vaccination and Risk of Hospitalization for Covid-19 among Infants | NEJM
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends the COVID-19 vaccination for those who are breastfeeding. COVID-19 vaccines cannot cause infection in anyone, including the mother or the baby, and the vaccines are effective at preventing COVID-19 in people who are breastfeeding. Recent reports have shown that breastfeeding people who have received mRNA COVID-19 vaccines have antibodies in their breastmilk, which could help protect their babies. More data are needed to determine what protection these antibodies may provide to the baby.
