What is COVID-19?

 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a respiratory illness that can spread from person to person. Symptoms include fever, cough and difficulty breathing. Symptoms may appear in as few as 2 days or as long as 14 days after exposure. 

Anyone can become infected, all ages, races, ethnicities, all geographic regions.

A person infected with COVID-19 can be symptom-free, but can infect others. We call those individuals carriers. That is why social distancing is essential.

Certain groups are at higher risk of becoming infected:

• A person who has recently traveled to areas that have high rates of infection
• A person who has had close contact with someone confirmed to have COVID-19

 These groups are at higher risk of severe illness if they are infected:

• Those with chronic health conditions: diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure
• Individuals who are immunocompromised.
• Older adults (60 years or older)

The virus that causes COVID-19 is thought to spread mainly between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet) through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. People are thought to be most contagious when they are most symptomatic (the sickest).

It may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes, but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.

 Diagnosis occurs through laboratory testing of respiratory specimens through Nasal or cheek swabs. 

 COVID-19 symptoms typically appear 2 to 14 days after a person is exposed to the virus. Symptoms are very similar to flu and include cough, fever, and shortness of breath.