COVID-19:
Isolation timeline for households with infection
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If you are sick with COVID-19 or think you might have it, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends isolating yourself in a seperate room and staying home except to get medical care. Call your doctor and get care if you feel worse or you think it is an emergency.
The decision of when to end home isolation should be made in consultation with your healthcare provider and state and local health departments. Local decisions depend on local circumstances. The following are general guidelines from the Centers for Desease Control and Prevention and the National Health Service, United Kingdom:
If you live with someone who has symptoms
If they will not have a test
If they will have a test
No fever for at least 72 hours
(Without use of medicine
to reduce fever)
to determine if they are still contagious, they can leave home after these three things have happened:
Symptoms have improved*
to determine if they are still contagious, they can leave home after these three things have happened:
AND
At least seven days since symptoms first appeared
AND
No fever
(Without use of medicine
to reduce fever)
Symptoms have improved*
AND
Two negative tests in a row, 24 hours apart
AND
Home isolation may end**
Home isolation may end
*You do not need to stay at home if you just have a cough after 7 days. A cough can last for several weeks after the infection has gone.
How long to self-isolate?
Depending upon the local community mobility restrictions put in place, people with COVID-19 or its symptoms who have stayed home can leave their “sick room” and stop home isolation under the following conditions:
Example household scenario
Day since first symptoms appeared with first household member
People in household
Gets sick
Starts 7-day count
No fever for 3 days and symptoms improved, so isolation ends*
Parent
1
Child
1
Parent
2
Gets sick
Starts 7-day count
No fever for 3 days and symptoms improved, so isolation ends*
United Kingdom guidelines:
No symptoms, so isolation ends
Some U.S. hospital guidelines:
No symptoms, so isolation ends
If you live with others and you are the first in the household to have symptoms of COVID-19, then you must stay at home for 7 days.
See symptoms
If anyone else in the household starts displaying symptoms, they stay at home for 7 days from when their symptoms appeared, regardless of what day they are on in the original 14-day isolation period.
Household members who remain well, stay in self isolation for 14 days calculated from day 1 of first symptomatic person (U.K. guidelines) or from day of last exposure (some U.S. hospitals guidelines).
Fever
Symptom comparison:
COVID-19 vs. flu vs. cold
Symptom
COVID-19
Flu
Cold
Often
Often
Rare
Often
Often
Rare
Often
Rare
Rare
Often
Often
Sometimes
Sometimes
Often
Often
Sometimes
Often
Rare
Sometimes
Sometimes
Often
Sometimes
Sometimes
Rare
Rare
Sometimes
Often
Rare
Rare
Often
COUGH
SHORTNESS OF BREATH
FATIGUE
BODY ACHES
HEADACHE
SORE THROAT
DIARRHEA/GI
STUFFY NOSE
SNEEZING
Source: Yale New Haven Health
The National Health Service, United Kingdom, recommends if you live with someone who has symptoms, you'll need to stay at home for 14 days from the day their symptoms started. The World Health Organization recommends monitoring your health for 14 days after the day of last exposure to someone with symptoms. This is because it can take up to 14 days for symptoms to appear (the incubation period).
Household members, intimate partners, and caregivers may have close contact with a person with symptomatic, laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 or a person under investigation. Close contact is defined as being within approximately 6 feet for a prolonged period of time or having direct contact with infectious secretions, such as being coughed on. Caregivers should monitor their own health and call their healthcare provider right away if they develop symptoms suggestive of COVID-19. The caregiver, when possible, should not be someone who is at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19.
Guidelines for caregivers
Monitor for
emergency signs
Most people who get sick with COVID-19 will have only mild illness and should recover at home.* Care at home can help stop the spread of COVID-19 and help protect people who are at risk for getting seriously ill from COVID-19. Home care should include:
Prevent
the spread
of germs
Provide
symptom
treatment
*Note: Older adults and people of any age with certain serious underlying medical conditions like lung disease, heart disease, or diabetes are at higher risk for developing more serious complications from COVID-19 illness and should seek care as soon as symptoms start.
SOURCES: National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD), Division of Viral Diseases; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; World Health Organization; United Kingdom National Health Service; University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics; Yale New Haven Health
Prevent the spread of germs
• The sick person should stay in a specific room and away from other people in the home. Use a separate bathroom, if available.
• Prohibit visitors who do not have an essential need to be in the home.
• If the sick person needs to be around others (within the home, in a vehicle, or doctor’s office), they should wear a facemask.
• If the sick person can’t wear a facemask, the caregiver should wear one while in the same room with them.
• If you have to share space, make sure the room has good air flow.
Open a window and turn on a fan (if possible) to increase air circulation.
• Avoid sharing personal items like dishes, towels, and bedding.
• Wash laundry thoroughly and wear disposable gloves while handling soiled items.
• Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or clean hands with hand sanitizer.
• Clean all surfaces that are touched often, like counters, tabletops, and doorknobs.
• Help the patient with basic needs in the home and provide support for getting groceries, prescriptions, and other personal needs. Consider having the items delivered through a delivery service, if possible.
• Make sure the sick person drinks a lot of fluids to stay hydrated and rests at home.
• Over-the-counter medicines, such as acetaminophen,
may help with symptoms.
• For most people, symptoms last a few days and get better after a week.
Provide symptom treatment
Get medical attention immediately if these warning signs develop*:
• Trouble breathing
• Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
• New confusion or inability to arouse
• Bluish lips or face
*This list is not all inclusive. Please consult your medical provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning.
Monitor for emergency signs
Sources: United Kingdom National Health Service; World Health Organization; University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics
Source: National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD), Division of Viral Diseases
No fever for at least 72 hours (Without use of medicine to reduce fever)
Symptoms have improved*
AND
At least seven days since symptoms first appeared
AND
Home isolation may end
to determine if they are still contagious, they can leave home after these three things have happened:
Symptom comparison:
COVID-19 vs. flu vs. cold
Gets sick
Starts 7-day count
No fever for 3 days and symptoms improved, so isolation ends
**Where testing is not possible, World Health Organization recommends that confirmed patients remain isolated for an additional two weeks after symptoms resolve.
*Where testing is not possible, WHO recommends that confirmed patients remain isolated for an additional two weeks after symptoms resolve.
More CDC information here
More WHO information here
Some U.S. hospital guidelines:
No symptoms, so isolation ends
The National Health Service, United Kingdom, recommends if you live with someone who has symptoms, you'll need to stay at home for 14 days from the day their symptoms started. Some U.S. hospitals are recommending isolation for 14 days after the day of last exposure to someone with symptoms. This is because it can take up to 14 days for symptoms to appear (the incubation period).
Know how the virus spreads
• The virus that causes COVID-19 is spreading very easily and sustainably between people. It is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person.
• Between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet).
• Through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks.
• These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs.
• Some recent studies have suggested that COVID-19 may be spread by people who are not showing symptoms.
• 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. This is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads, but more is still being learned about this virus.
Know how the virus spreads
• The virus that causes COVID-19 is spreading very easily and sustainably between people. It is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person.
• Between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet).
• Through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks.
• These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs.
• Some recent studies have suggested that COVID-19 may be spread by people who are not showing symptoms.
• 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. This is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads, but more is still being learned about this virus.
Provide symptom treatment
At least seven days since the date of first postive test
If they are self-isolating, they can leave their “sick room” and home when:
For people who did not have COVID-19 symptoms, but tested positive:
Home isolation may end
But for 3 more days, continue to limit contact (stay 6 feet or more away from others) and wear a face covering when other people are present (including at home).
They continue to have no symptoms (no cough or shortness of breath) since the test
AND
For all people: When leaving the home, keep a distance of 6 feet from others and wear a cloth face covering when around other people.