The Washington Department of Health (DOH) reports more than a dozen Washingtonians die of COVID-19 every week. This month DOH announced new guidelines for preventing the spread of respiratory viruses, including COVID-19. A key change is adjusting the length of isolation (staying home sick) based on symptoms rather than a set number of days.
The first step to prevent the spread of respiratory illnesses is for people to recognize when they are sick. COVID-19, flu, and RSV cause symptoms like cough, fever, chills, headache, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, sneezing, chest discomfort, decrease in appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, tiredness, muscle or body aches, loss of taste or smell, weakness, and wheezing.
When a person has any of these symptoms—not explained by other known causes—they should stay home and away from others. They can go back to normal activities when:
- Symptoms generally improve, and they are feeling better for at least 24 hours, and
- They have no fever for 24 hours without using a fever-reducing medication like Tylenol or Advil
The person can leave isolation when these criteria are met, even if a few mild symptoms linger. In any case, people should take extra precautions when they go back to regular activities. Respiratory viruses can continue to be contagious even once symptoms improve.
- COVID-19 is often contagious for 5-10 days after illness begins
- Flu may be contagious for up to 5-7 days after illness begins
- RSV is usually contagious for 3-8 days after illness begins
Extra precautions include:
- Wearing a mask
- Improving air flow and filtration
- Washing hands frequently
- Cleaning regularly
- Physical distancing
- Testing when you will be around other people indoors
DOH has additional COVID-19 recommendations for protecting people at high risk of getting very sick, such as older adults and people with weakened immune systems. People with COVID-19 specifically should consider staying away from people with these risks until:
- 10 days have passed since symptoms started
- 10 days have passed since a positive test, if symptoms never developed, or
- Their at-home COVID-19 test is negative
If a person with COVID-19 is unable to follow these recommendations before spending time with a person at high risk of getting very sick, DOH recommends wearing a well-fitting mask.
More details, as well as links to separate guidelines for workplaces and health care facilities, are online here.