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Official Website

of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

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    Guidance for Everyone

    Respiratory viruses can make you sick by affecting your nose, throat, and lungs. Common respiratory viruses include the flu, RSV, and COVID-19. Learn how to stay healthy and keep others safe.

    There is additional guidance for childcare, healthcare, long-term care facilities (LTCF), and schools.

    How to Protect Yourself

    Core Strategies

    • Wash Hands: Use soap and water for at least 20 seconds, or use hand sanitizer.
    • Cover Coughs and Sneezes: Use a tissue or your elbow, then wash your hands.
    • Get Vaccinated: Get your flu and COVID-19 shots (RSV shots for some people).
    • Steps for Cleaner Air: Bring in fresh outdoor air, gather outdoors, or purify indoor air
    • Clean Surfaces: Wipe down things you touch often.
    • Stay Home: When sick, stay home and away from others until at least 24 hours after both symptoms are getting better overall, and you have not had a fever (and are not using fever-reducing medication).
    • Take added precautions: When a person is ready to resume normal activities, they should use added precautions over the next five days. These precautions are: steps for cleaner air, enhancing your hand and cough hygiene, wear a well-fitting mask, keeping a distance from others.

    Additional Strategies

    • Keep Distance: Stay away from people who are sick.
    • Get Tested: Tests can provide useful information to help you make prevention or treatment choices. Talk to your doctor about getting tested.
    • Wear a Mask: Put on a mask in crowded places.

    Special Considerations

    Groups with higher risk of illness include:

    • Older adults and those around them
    • Young kids
    • People with weakened immune systems
    • People with disabilities
    • Pregnant people

    Group settings like dorms and group homes are prone to respiratory outbreaks, especially from late fall to early spring. Extra care should be taken to prevent illness during this time.

    Symptoms to Watch For

    • Fever
    • Cough
    • Sore throat
    • Runny or stuffy nose
    • Body aches
    • Feeling very tired

    Call a doctor if you have:

    • Trouble breathing
    • Chest pain
    • Confusion
    • High fever that won’t go down