Coronavirus

Currently there is no vaccine for COVID-19, so prevention is even more critical. Reducing spread as quickly as possible will help protect our most vulnerable populations, such as seniors and those with chronic medical conditions. You can prevent the spread of coronavirus, and also the flu, by taking these steps: Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom. Also wash them before eating and after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing. If there’s no soap and water, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands. Avoid close contact with people who are sick. Stay home when you are sick. Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash. Clean and disinfect objects and surfaces you touch often with a regular household cleaning spray or wipe. People who are well do not need to wear masks at home or in public.

Minimizing exposure is especially important for people who are 65 or older or who have an underlying health condition like heart disease, lung disease, diabetes, high blood pressure or cancer. People in those groups have a higher risk of developing severe disease if they do get COVID-19, and the safest thing for them during an outbreak will be to stay home as much as possible and minimize close contact with other people. To get ready, they should talk to their doctor about getting additional prescription medications and have enough household items and groceries on hand to stay home as needed.

Patients diagnosed with COVID-19 report mild to severe respiratory illness. Symptoms of COVID-19 may show up 2-14 days after exposure and may include fever, cough and shortness of breath. General Population: If you are in generally good health and have a mild illness, stay home and take care of yourself like you would for the flu. If symptoms worsen, call your doctor. At-Risk Populations: If you are 65 years or older and/or have other medical problems like heart disease, lung disease, diabetes, high blood pressure or cancer – and have fever or symptoms - call your doctor. If you are not sick enough to be hospitalized, you can recover at home. Follow your physician’s instructions or refer to CDC guidance for how to take care of yourself at home. Follow CDC instructions for how to take care of yourself at home. Your doctor will help make the decision whether you should get tested for coronavirus. Some public health and commercial labs in Texas are now testing.

If you develop symptoms (fever, shortness of breath, cough), and have been in close contact with a person known to have COVID-19 or have recently traveled from an area with widespread or ongoing community spread of COVID-19:

Step 1: Stay at home and isolate yourself.

Step 2: Call your primary care physician, if you do not have a primary care physician call 68NURSE (6868773).

Step 3: Wait for direction from your doctor or 68NURSE on what to do next.

If you plan to take any trips soon — in or outside the U.S. — please always check the CDC website for guidance, and plan accordingly. The guidance is changing almost daily.

Many of us work with the public and we want to provide information and resources that can help you. Please use the CDC and Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) coronavirus webpages as reliable sources of information. Here you will also find helpful tips specific to the workplace, like keeping commonly used surfaces such as doorknobs, keyboards, remote controls, desks, wiped down by employees before each use.

CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies), especially in areas of significant community-based transmission. CDC also advises the use of simple cloth face coverings to slow the spread of the virus and help people who may have the virus and do not know it from transmitting it to others. Cloth face coverings fashioned from household items or made at home from common materials at low cost can be used as an additional, voluntary public health measure. Cloth face coverings should not be placed on young children under age 2, anyone who has trouble breathing, or is unconscious, incapacitated or otherwise unable to remove the mask without assistance. The cloth face coverings recommended are not surgical masks or N-95 respirators. Those are critical supplies that must continue to be reserved for healthcare workers and other medical first responders, as recommended by current CDC guidance.

The CDC has published a guide for how to prepare households for a potential outbreak. It includes a list of household cleaners that work to disinfect surfaces.

DSHS is monitoring the Texas situation all day, seven days a week. They are working closely with emergency response agencies, local health departments and the CDC. We are in communication with DSHS and will keep you informed as this situation continues. Please view a message from DSHS Commissioner Dr. Hellerstedt on steps everyone can take right now to prevent COVID-19 and follow @TexasDSHS on social media for real-time updates. Visit DSHS online at dshs.texas.gov/coronavirus.