• If you have been diagnosed with COVID-19, isolate at home to avoid exposing others to the coronavirus.
• Order food and other supplies for home delivery, or ask relatives, friends, or neighbors to bring you what you need.
• Most likely, you will have mild symptoms that don’t require medical care.

It’s normal to feel scared and nervous when diagnosed with COVID-19, but remember that most people have mild symptoms and do not require medical care. With some planning, you can stay as comfortable as possible at home during your illness.

If you’ve just been diagnosed with a new COVID-19 infection, it’s key to self-isolate at home. Do not go near other people unless you require medical care and are wearing a well-fitting mask. Be most careful to avoid those in your household who have weak immune systems or who have not been vaccinated, such as young children for whom vaccines have not yet been approved.

If others are living in your household, try to stay in a separate room and use a separate bathroom from other household members. If you do need to leave the house or be around others in your home, be sure to wear a well-fitting mask.

If you were diagnosed with COVID-19 from a test you did at home, check in with a health care provider who is familiar with your medical history. They can tell if you would benefit from some special treatments, such as antiviral medications.

Stay Calm and Prepare To Isolate

It can feel stressful to know that you may be unable to take care of certain tasks while self-isolating. Creating a to-do list or making plans can alleviate some worry. Make a note of what you might need to stay comfortable while you recover.

You may need to ask for help. Contact your family, friends, co-workers, or neighbors and let them know you might need some support during your illness and recovery. Ask the people around you to bring food, medicine, or anything else you may need. Try not to feel guilty for asking for help — by staying home, you’re protecting others in your community.

You can also order groceries for delivery from many stores. Depending on where you live, delivery services may offer contact-free food delivery from local restaurants.

Local resources are available if you need extra assistance. If you live in the U.S. and are facing challenges with accessing affordable food, find your local food bank.

Self-Care and Mental Health

Self-care strategies can help lower your stress and improve mental health while isolating. If you are experiencing challenges with mental health, resources are available to help you online or through phone or video chat.

How Long Should You Isolate?

Many members of myCOVIDteam have questions about isolation guidelines to protect their community. One member posted: “Work says I have to have a negative test before I return. Am I still contagious? Should I continue to isolate?”

How long you’ll need to isolate will depend on the current guidelines where you live. These may change as more is learned about COVID-19 and its variants.

On Dec. 27, 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its isolation recommendations. If you have tested positive for COVID-19, isolate for at least five days. After the first five days, if you have no symptoms or if your symptoms are improving and you haven’t had a fever for more than 24 hours, you may leave your house. For five more days, you must continue to wear a well-fitting mask whenever you are around other people.

If you develop a fever, stay home until your fever goes away for at least 24 hours.

Isolation guidelines are based on the risk of being contagious, or spreading the virus to someone else. You’re more likely to spread the virus that causes COVID-19 early in the course of the illness, even a couple of days before your symptoms begin. After 10 days of illness, it’s unlikely that someone with a normal immune system would still be contagious, even if they continued to have a positive test result for COVID-19.

If you need a caregiver to help you while you recover, try to choose a person who is not at high risk for severe COVID-19. People at high risk for developing severe COVID-19 symptoms include those over 65 years old and those who have a compromised immune system. Be careful to avoid anyone in your household who has not been vaccinated against COVID-19, including children too young for the vaccine.

Notify Others Who May Have Been Exposed

The average incubation period for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has been about five days. This is the time between when a person is exposed to the virus and when they would first notice symptoms. Some variants of the virus, like omicron, have an even shorter incubation period of two to four days. Some cases of COVID-19 can be asymptomatic, but almost everyone who develops COVID-19 symptoms will do so within 11 days of exposure.

Therefore, it’s important to let people know of your diagnosis if you've had close contact (within 6 feet for more than 15 minutes) with them in the days before experiencing symptoms. Notify close contacts so they can get tested and prevent exposing more people to COVID-19.

What To Expect

Not everyone who has a COVID-19 infection will have symptoms. If you do, you will likely develop them within two to 14 days after being exposed. Common symptoms include fever, sore throat, headache, sneezing, body aches, exhaustion, cough, loss of taste or smell, congestion, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

The majority of people will experience mild to moderate symptoms and can manage these at home without hospitalization. If you are a healthy adult, you probably won’t develop severe symptoms of COVID-19. However, you should track your symptoms and get medical assistance if your symptoms worsen drastically.

Those who develop mild or moderate COVID-19 symptoms may feel unwell for several days. Studies show about 80 percent of people completely recover within four weeks from the initial symptoms.

Over-the-counter medications cannot cure COVID-19, but they can help treat your symptoms. Upon initial diagnosis, make sure you have throat lozenges, fever reducers (such as ibuprofen, acetaminophen, or naproxen), and decongestants and cough syrups to help with chest congestion.

Keep Clean

It’s a good idea to get some household disinfectants to clean high-contact areas. Do not go to a store in person to purchase these items. Ask for help from the people around you, or find a store that offers delivery.

Wash your hands and disinfect surfaces often, especially if you have other people in your household. Use hand sanitizer frequently, especially after sneezing, coughing, or blowing your nose.

If You Are at Higher Risk

If you are at higher risk for severe COVID-19, monitor your symptoms closely and notify your health care provider of your diagnosis. Your health care provider will give you guidance on how to monitor your condition, manage your symptoms, and when to get medical help. Doses of your medications may need to be adjusted, particularly if you already have chronic lung conditions, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or asthma.

Seek emergency care if you have chest pain or pressure, trouble breathing or shortness of breath, a blue or gray color to your skin, unusual confusion, or if you are unable to stay awake.

The Impact of COVID-19 Vaccines

COVID-19 vaccines are effective at preventing COVID-19 illness and severe COVID-19 disease. If you are up to date with your COVID-19 vaccines, you’re less likely to develop severe disease if you have a breakthrough COVID-19 infection, and your course of illness is more likely to be mild or asymptomatic.

The current vaccines may be less effective against the omicron variant than previous coronavirus variants. However, booster shots increase the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines against omicron.

Learn more about answers to many common questions about COVID-19.

Talk With Others Who Understand

On myCOVIDteam, the social support network for those recovering from the effects of COVID-19, you can connect with others. Members come together to ask questions, give advice, and share their stories with others who understand.

Have you been diagnosed with COVID-19? Do you have any tips to offer? Share your insights in the comments below, or start a conversation by posting on myCOVIDteam.