COVID-19: Stop the spread

Symptoms and treatment

Symptoms of COVID-19covid 19, which is the disease caused by the 2019 novel coronavirus, range from mild — like the flu and other common respiratory infections — to severe.

Call 911 if you are experiencing any of the following symptoms:

• severe difficulty breathing (struggling for each breath, can only speak in single words)
• severe chest pain (constant tightness or crushing sensation)
• feeling confused or unsure of where you are
• losing consciousness

The most common symptoms of COVID-19covid 19 include:

• fever (feeling hot to the touch, a temperature of 37.8 degrees Celsius or higher)
• chills
• cough that's new or worsening (continuous, more than usual)
• barking cough, making a whistling noise when breathing (croup)
• shortness of breath (out of breath, unable to breathe deeply)
• sore throat
• difficulty swallowing
• runny, stuffy or congested nose (not related to seasonal allergies or other known causes or conditions)
• lost sense of taste or smell
• pink eye (conjunctivitis)
• headache that’s unusual or long lasting
• digestive issues (nausea/vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain)
• muscle aches
• extreme tiredness that is unusual (fatigue, lack of energy)
• falling down often
• for young children and infants: sluggishness or lack of appetite

Complications from COVID-19covid 19 can include serious conditions, like pneumonia or kidney failure and, in some cases, death.

There is no specific treatment for COVID-19covid 19. The majority of COVID-19covid 19 cases are mild and most people who get it will recover on their own. Typical treatment for common coronaviruses includes:

• drinking plenty of fluids
• getting as much rest and sleep as possible
• using a humidifier or taking a hot shower to help with a sore throat or cough

If you start to show symptoms of COVID-19covid 19

If you begin to show symptoms of COVID-19covid 19, you should:

• go to a COVID-19covid 19 assessment centre to get tested
• stay home and self-isolate unless you are going to the assessment centre
• tell people you were in close physical contact with in the 48 hours before your symptoms began to monitor their health and to self-isolate

Only call 911 if it is an emergency.

At-risk groups

Some groups are at higher risk of getting COVID-19covid 19. You may be in an at-risk group if you:

• are 70 years old or older
• are getting treatment that compromises (weakens) your immune system (for example, chemotherapy, medication for transplants, corticosteroids, TNF inhibitors)
• have a condition that compromises (weakens) your immune system (for example, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, other autoimmune disorder)
• have a chronic (long-lasting) health condition (for example, diabetes, emphysema, asthma, heart condition)
• regularly go to a hospital or health care setting for a treatment (for example, dialysis, surgery, cancer treatment)

What you need to do

COVID-19covid 19 is spread mainly from person to person through close physical contact.

Close physical contact means:

• being less than 2 metres away in the same room, workspace, or area
• living in the same home

Everyday actions

Take these everyday steps to reduce exposure to the virus and protect your health:

• wash your hands often with soap and water or alcohol-based hand sanitizer
• sneeze and cough into your sleeve
• avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth
• avoid contact with people who are sick
• stay home and self-isolate if you are sick

Poster: What you need to know to help you and your family stay healthy (PDF)

Physical distancing

Everyone in Ontario should practise physical distancing to reduce their exposure to other people — this means you should:

• stay home as much as possible – go grocery shopping once a week or less, only visit pharmacies and banks when necessary and place orders over the phone or online
• staying at least two metres away from anyone you do not live with

Learn where to get tested if you think you’ve been exposed to COVID-19covid 19.

Face coverings (non-medical masks)

The best way to stop the spread of COVID-19covid 19 is by staying home and avoiding close contact with others outside of your household.

When you go out, you must use a face covering (non-medical mask such as a cloth mask) in public indoor spaces, with some exceptions. This includes:

• public spaces (for example, inside stores, event spaces, entertainment facilities and common areas in hotels)
• workplaces, even those that are not open to the public
• vehicles that operate as part of a business or organization, including taxis and rideshares

Learn about face coverings, including exceptions and how to properly fit, wear, remove and clean your non-medical face mask.

Get tested for COVID-19

Depending on your situation, you may be able to get a free COVID-19covid 19 test at:

• COVID-19covid 19 assessment centres (including mobile and temporary sites)
• participating community labs
• participating pharmacies

Some locations may have certain restrictions (for example, some are unable to test young children).

Find out what you need to know before, during, and after a test at an assessment centre, pharmacy, or community lab.

How to self-isolate

Self-isolating means staying at home and avoiding contact with other people to help prevent the spread of disease.

You should self-isolate if you:

• are in an at-risk group
• think you have symptoms of COVID-19covid 19
• think you have been exposed to someone with COVID-19covid 19 or who has recently returned from travel

This means that you should only leave your home or see other people for critical reasons (like a medical emergency). Where possible, you should try to get what you need:

• online
• over the phone
• from friends, family or neighbours

Your roommates or family you live with should self-isolate too, if they can.

Stay home

• do not use public transportation, taxis or rideshares
• do not go to work, school or other public places
• your health care provider will tell you when it is safe to leave

Limit the number of visitors in your home

• only have visitors who you must see (for example, for medical reasons or to drop of groceries) – do not invite people over to socialize
• keep necessary visits short
• do not visit with people who are in at-risk groups

Avoid contact with others

• stay in a separate room, away from other people in your home, as much as possible
• use a separate bathroom if you have one
• make sure that shared rooms have good airflow (for example, open windows)
• keep a distance of at least 6 feet (2 metres) in shared spaces

Wear a mask

• wear a face covering or mask when you:
  • leave your house to see a health care provider
  • are within two metres of other people or where it may be difficult to maintain physical distancing (for example, in a grocery store)
• make sure you properly wear, fit, remove and clean your face covering or mask

Keep distance

• if you are in a room with other people, stay at least two metres away from each other and wear a mask that covers your nose and mouth
• if you cannot wear a mask, other people should wear a mask when they are in the same room as you

Cover your coughs and sneezes

• cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze
• if you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve or elbow, not your hand
• throw used tissues in a wastebasket that’s lined with a plastic bag
  • the plastic bag makes it safer and easier to empty the wastebasket
  • after emptying the wastebasket, wash your hands

Wash your hands

• wash your hands often with soap and water
• dry your hands with a paper towel, or with your own cloth towel that no one else shares
• use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available

Read the Government of Canada’s guidance on how to self-isolate if you have:

• symptoms of COVID-19covid 19
• no symptoms, but are in a high-risk group or have recently returned from travel

Poster: How to self-isolate (PDF).

How to care for someone with COVID-19

Wash your hands often

• wash your hands with soap and water after each contact with the infected person
• use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available

Wear a mask and gloves

• wear a mask and gloves when you have contact any of the person’s bodily fluids including:
  • saliva
  • blood
  • vomit
  • urine
  • feces

Throw out used gloves and masks

• take the gloves and mask off right after you provide care and throw them in a waste basket lined with a plastic bag
  • take off the gloves first and clean your hands with soap and water before taking off your mask
• clean your hands again with soap and water before touching your face or doing anything else

Limit the number of visitors in your home

• only have visitors who you must see and keep the visits short
• ensure vulnerable people — seniors and people with chronic medical conditions (for example, diabetes, lung problems, and immune deficiency) — stay away from the infected person

Avoid sharing household and personal items

• do not share dishes, drinking glasses, cups, eating utensils, towels, bedding or other items with the infected person
• after use, wash household items in a dishwasher, washing machine or by hand with soap and warm water — you don’t have to use a special type of soap
• do not share cigarettes

Clean

• clean your home with regular household cleaners
• clean regularly touched items such as toilets, sink tap handles, doorknobs and bedside tables daily

Wash laundry thoroughly

• wear gloves when handling an infected person’s laundry
  • you can safely wash other laundry with the infected person’s
  • wash your hands with soap and water immediately after taking your gloves off

Be careful when touching waste

• all waste can go into regular garbage bins
  • line your wastebasket with a plastic bag — the plastic bag makes it safer and easier to empty the wastebasket
• after emptying the wastebasket, wash your hands

Poster: Self-isolation: Guide for caregivers, household members and close contacts (PDF)