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COVID-19 Fast Facts
- What is COVID-19?
- What Precautions should I take?
- What's the deal about facemask & gloves?
- Isolation, Quarantine, or Self-monitoring?
- I've tested positive, now what?
- NC LINKS Youth COVID Resources
- Check My Symptoms Online
What are coronaviruses? What is COVID-19?
CDC Link to COVID-19 Information
Coronaviruses are a large group of viruses that can cause illness in animals and humans. Some coronaviruses commonly circulate in the United States, and usually cause upper respiratory symptoms such as cough or runny nose, although some can cause more serious illness. The 2019 novel (new) coronavirus causes the illness COVID-19. First identified in Wuhan, China, and is now being spread throughout the world. People are encouraged to take common-sense precautions to prevent the spread of all infectious diseases.
How does COVID-19 spread?
CDC Link to Preventing COVID-19 Spread in Communities
Coronaviruses, like COVID-19, are most often spread through the air by coughing or sneezing, through close personal contact (including touching and shaking hands) or through touching your nose, mouth or eyes before washing your hands.
Help up prevent the spread of such a virus:
- Keeping your child home if they have had a fever, used fever-reducing medication, or experienced symptoms of illness within the past 24 hours
- Stay home when you are sick with a fever, using fever-reducing medication, or experiencing symptoms of illness within the last 24 hours
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe
- If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol
- Wear a cloth face covering when out in public
What are the Symptoms?
People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness.
Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. People with these symptoms may have COVID-19:
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Fever
- Chills
- Muscle pain
- Sore throat
- New loss of taste or smell
This list is not all possible symptoms. Other less common symptoms have been reported, including gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.
What precautions should I take?
Take the same precautions that you would use for the seasonal flu (influenza).
- Wash hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
- If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick
- Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze
- Do not reuse tissue after coughing, sneezing or blowing your nose; throw it in the trash, not your pocket
- Clean and disinfect surfaces that are frequently touched such as doorknobs, computer, laptops, and cell phones
- Wear a face covering when out in public
- For the general public, CDC recommends wearing gloves when you are cleaning or caring for someone who is sick.
Who is considered a high-risk individual?
- People age 65 and older
- People who live in a nursing home or long-term care facility
- Other high-risk conditions include:
People with chronic lung disease or moderate to severe asthma
People who have heart disease with complications
People who are immunocompromised including cancer treatment
People of any age with severe obesity (body mass index greater than 40) or certain underlying medical conditions, particularly if not well controlled, such as those with diabetes, renal failure, or liver disease might also be at risk
Follow CDC’s recommendations for using a facemask:
- It is recommended to wear cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies), especially in areas of significant community-based transmission.
- CDC also advises the use of simple cloth face coverings to slow the spread of the virus and help people who may have the virus and do not know it from transmitting it to others. Cloth face coverings fashioned from household items or made at home from common materials at low cost can be used as an additional, voluntary public health measure.
- Cloth face coverings should not be placed on young children under age 2, anyone who has trouble breathing, or is unconscious, incapacitated or otherwise unable to remove the mask without assistance.
- The cloth face coverings recommended are not surgical masks or N-95 respirators. Those are critical supplies that must continue to be reserved for healthcare workers and other medical first responders, as recommended by current CDC guidance.
- How to Wear a Cloth Face Covering
- fit snugly but comfortably against the side of the face
- be secured with ties or ear loops
- include multiple layers of fabric
- allow for breathing without restriction
- be able to be laundered and machine dried without damage or change to shape
Should cloth face coverings be washed or otherwise cleaned regularly? How regularly?
Yes. They should be routinely washed depending on the frequency of use.
How does one safely sterilize/clean a cloth face covering?
A washing machine should suffice in properly washing a face covering.
How does one safely remove a used cloth face covering?
Individuals should be careful not to touch their eyes, nose, and mouth when removing their face covering and wash hands immediately after removing.
When to wear gloves
For the general public, CDC recommends wearing gloves when you are cleaning or caring for someone who is sick.
In most other situations, like running errands, wearing gloves is not necessary. Instead, practice everyday preventive actions like keeping social distance (at least 6 feet) from others, washing your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds (or using a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol), and wearing a cloth face covering when you have to go out in public.
When cleaning:
When you are routinely cleaning and disinfecting your home.
- Follow precautions listed on the disinfectant product label, which may include-
- wearing gloves (reusable or disposable) and
- having good ventilation by turning on a fan or opening a window to get fresh air into the room you’re cleaning.
- Wash your hands after you have removed the gloves.
When caring for someone who is sick:
If you are providing care to someone who is sick at home or in another non-healthcare setting
- Use disposable gloves when cleaning and disinfecting the area around the person who is sick or other surfaces that may be frequently touched in the home.
- Use disposable gloves when touching or having contact with blood, stool, or body fluids, such as saliva, mucus, vomit, and urine.
- After using disposable gloves, throw them out in a lined trash can. Do not disinfect or reuse the gloves.
- Wash your hands after you have removed the gloves.
When gloves aren’t needed
Wearing gloves outside of these instances (for example, when using a shopping cart or using an ATM) will not necessarily protect you from getting COVID-19 and may still lead to the spread of germs. The best way to protect yourself from germs when running errands and after going out is to regularly wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
Steps to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 if you are sick
If you are sick with COVID-19 or think you might have COVID-19, follow the steps below to care for yourself, and to help protect other people in your home and community.
- Stay home. Most people with COVID-19 have mild illness and can recover at home without medical care. Do not leave your home, except to get medical care. Do not visit public areas.
- Take care of yourself. Get rest and stay hydrated. Take over-the-counter medicines, such as acetaminophen, to help you feel better.
- Stay in touch with your doctor. Call before you get medical care. Be sure to get care if you have trouble breathing, or have any other emergency warning signs, or if you think it is an emergency.
- Avoid public transportation, ride-sharing, or taxis.
As much as possible, stay in a specific room and away from other people and pets in your home. If possible, you should use a separate bathroom. If you need to be around other people or animals in or outside of the home, wear a cloth face covering.
- Additional guidance is available for those living in close quarters and shared housing.
- See COVID-19 and Animals if you have questions about pets.
- Symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, cough, or other symptoms.
- Follow care instructions from your healthcare provider and local health department. Your local health authorities may give instructions on checking your symptoms and reporting information.
Look for emergency warning signs* for COVID-19. If someone is showing any of these signs, seek emergency medical care immediately:
- Trouble breathing
- Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
- New confusion
- Inability to wake or stay awake
- Bluish lips or face
*This list is not all possible symptoms. Please call your medical provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning to you.
Call 911 or call ahead to your local emergency facility: Notify the operator that you are seeking care for someone who has or may have COVID-19.
- Call ahead. Many medical visits for routine care are being postponed or done by phone or telemedicine.
- If you have a medical appointment that cannot be postponed, call your doctor’s office, and tell them you have or may have COVID-19. This will help the office protect themselves and other patients.
- You should wear a cloth face covering, over your nose and mouth if you must be around other people or animals, including pets (even at home).
- You don’t need to wear the cloth face covering if you are alone. If you can’t put on a cloth face covering (because of trouble breathing, for example), cover your coughs and sneezes in some other way. Try to stay at least 6 feet away from other people. This will help protect the people around you.
- Cloth face coverings should not be placed on young children under age 2 years, anyone who has trouble breathing, or anyone who is not able to remove the covering without help.
Note: During the COVID-19 pandemic, medical-grade facemasks are reserved for healthcare workers and some first responders. You may need to make a cloth face-covering using a scarf or bandana.
- Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
- Throw away used tissues in a lined trash can.
- Immediately wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. This is especially important after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing; going to the bathroom; and before eating or preparing food.
- Use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol, covering all surfaces of your hands and rubbing them together until they feel dry.
- Soap and water are the best options, especially if hands are visibly dirty.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Handwashing Tips
- Do not share dishes, drinking glasses, cups, eating utensils, towels, or bedding with other people in your home.
- Wash these items thoroughly after using them with soap and water or put in the dishwasher.
- Clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces in your “sick room” and bathroom; wear disposable gloves. Let someone else clean and disinfect surfaces in common areas, but you should clean your bedroom and bathroom, if possible.
- If a caregiver or other person needs to clean and disinfect a sick person’s bedroom or bathroom, they should do so on an as-needed basis. The caregiver/other people should wear a mask and disposable gloves prior to cleaning. They should wait as long as possible after the person who is sick has used the bathroom before coming in to clean and use the bathroom.
High-touch surfaces include phones, remote controls, counters, tabletops, doorknobs, bathroom fixtures, toilets, keyboards, tablets, and bedside tables.
- Clean and disinfect areas that may have blood, stool, or body fluids on them.
- Use household cleaners and disinfectants. Clean the area or item with soap and water or another detergent if it is dirty. Then, use a household disinfectant.
- Be sure to follow the instructions on the label to ensure the safe and effective use of the product. Many products recommend keeping the surface wet for several minutes to ensure germs are killed. Many also recommend precautions such as wearing gloves and making sure you have good ventilation during the use of the product.
- Most EPA-registered household disinfectants should be effective. A full list of disinfectants can be found hereexternal icon.
COVID-19 is impacting us all.
NC LINKS can help.
NC LINKS, a program of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, serves youth and young adults between 13 and 21 years of age who are or have been in foster care to assist with education, employment, pregnancy prevention, and other activities.
More information and resources about COVID-19 can be found here https://covid19.ncdhhs.gov/.
SIX RESOURCES NC LINKS YOUTH SHOULD KNOW ABOUT
1. Supplemental Foster Care COVID-19 Payments
- Young adults in Foster Care 18 to 21 will receive an additional $100 a month for April, May, and June.
- This money is sent the same way as regular monthly foster care payments, for example:
- If you receive your payment directly, then the $100 will come directly to you.
- If you are not receiving your payment directly, then the $100 will be made to the same person the regular monthly payment goes to.
2. Additional LINKS Transitional and Housing Funds
- If you are between the ages of 18 and 21 and in the Foster Care 18-21 program you are eligible for LINKS Transitional and Housing funds to assist with rent, rent deposits, room and board, and other transitional costs.
- If you are between ages 18 and 21 and are not in the Foster Care 18 to 21 program you are eligible for funding and supports through NC LINKS and may be eligible for additional supports if you have been impacted by COVID-19.
3. Pandemic-Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT)
- The P-EBT helped families and congregate care settings purchase food during the pandemic. Benefits are also available for children and youth in foster care.
- If you are still in high school, in foster care, and under 18, this benefit is provided to your placement.
- If you are still in high school and in Foster Care 18 to 21 you may receive this benefit directly.
- These benefits are automatically provided and there is no need to apply. For additional information, please refer to: https://www.covid19.ncdhhs.gov/information/human-services/pandemic-electronic-benefit-transfer-p-ebt-program.
4. Foster Care to Success
- The Education and Training Voucher (ETV) and NC Reach Programs: Continue to provide outreach and support services. There are limited resources available for emergency use. If you are receiving ETV or NC Reach funds, please reach out to your coordinator for support.
- https://www.fc2sprograms.org
5. NC 2-1-1 North Carolina’s COVID Information Hub
- NC 2-1-1 is an information and referral service for free and confidential information, including food access, mental/physical health needs, housing resources, and other community resources.
- https://www.nc211.org/coronavirus-covid-19
6. Assurance Wireless
- Assurance Wireless is a Federal Lifeline Assistance program that can help eligible low-income individuals receive free data, unlimited texting, free monthly minutes, and a free phone.
- https://www.assurancewireless.com
Please contact your county LINKS Coordinator at https://www.ncdhhs.gov/divisions/social-services/local-dss-directory
or
Erin Conner, NC LINKS Coordinator at erin.conner@dhhs.nc.gov
CHECK MY SYMPTOMS
Use the above link to see if your symptoms need to be tested for the COVID-19 virus.
What are the Symptoms?
People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness.
Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. People with these symptoms may have COVID-19:
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Fever
- Chills
- Muscle pain
- Sore throat
- New loss of taste or smell
This list is not all possible symptoms. Other less common symptoms have been reported, including gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.
Two kinds of tests for COVID-19: viral tests and antibody tests.
- A viral test tells you if you have a current infection.
- An antibody test might tell you if you had a past infection. An antibody test might not show if you have a current infection because it can take 1–3 weeks after infection for your body to make antibodies. Having antibodies to the virus that causes COVID-19 might provide protection from getting infected with the virus again. If it does, we do not know how much protection the antibodies might provide or how long this protection might last.
If you test positive or negative for COVID-19 on a viral or an antibody test, you still should take preventive measures to protect yourself and others.
Results
If you test positive for COVID-19 by a viral test, know what protective steps to take if you are sick or caring for someone.
If you test negative for COVID-19 by a viral test, you probably were not infected at the time your sample was collected. However, that does not mean you will not get sick. The test result only means that you did not have COVID-19 at the time of testing. You might test negative if the sample was collected early in your infection and test positive later during your illness. You could also be exposed to COVID-19 after the test and get infected then.
How to get tested for current COVID-19 infection?
Direct exposure should consider themselves positive and quarantine for 14 days
They do not want to test as soon as they find out they have had direct contact with a positive covid. If they are not showing symptoms they need to wait closer to the end of the quarantine time to test
Health Department can do referrals for the people that do not have a primary doctor, if they have a primary doctor they need to call the doctor for referral.
Direct exposure is they have had direct contact with the person that is positive not the persons, girlfriend or family member but the person that is positive.
Indirect contact does not need to test.
Must have referral to test.
Need to wait on nurse to call back before they go to testing site because the referral can take several hours to go through system.
- To learn if you have a current infection, viral tests are used. Most people have mild illness and can recover at home without medical care. Contact your healthcare provider if your symptoms are getting worse or if you have questions about your health.
- Decisions about testing are made by state and localexternal icon health departments or healthcare providers. You can visit your state or localexternal icon health department’s website to look for the latest local information on testing.
- If you have symptoms of COVID-19 and want to get tested, call your healthcare provider first.
- If you have symptoms of COVID-19 and are not tested, it is important to stay home. Learn what to do if you are sick.