Fever, cough and shortness of breath are symptoms to watch for with the coronavirus, the CDC says.
Those symptoms may appear within two to 14 days from exposure to the 2019 COVID-19 coronavirus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
If you develop those symptoms, call your doctor, especially if you have been in close contact with a person known to have the virus or have traveled to an area with an outbreak. A list of countries experiencing an outbreak is available here. These countries, on Level 3 status, currently are China, Iran, Italy, Japan and South Korea.
Those returning home from a high-risk area should stay home for 14 days and monitor their temperature and look for signs of difficulty breathing. After 14 days, if there are no symptoms, you can leave home but do not use public transportation; keep a distance of 6 feet from others.
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said Thursday a million test kits for the COVID-19 are expected to arrive this weekend at U.S. labs.
Tips to protect yourself and others include not touching your face; staying home when sick; using a tissue to cover your mouth or nose when coughing or sneezing and throwing the tissue away; and disinfecting objects you might touch with a household cleaner or wipe.
Wash your hands with soap and water for a minimum of 20 seconds, especially after using the restroom and before eating. Washing is preferred to using a hand sanitizer, but if you use one, make sure it is alcohol-based with at least 60 percent alcohol.
The CDC provides a wealth of information hand-washing and the science making the case for washing.
Face masks should only be worn by people showing symptoms, or by health care workers, the CDC said.
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Jason M. Reynolds has more than 20 years’ experience as a journalist at outlets of all sizes.
