COVID-19 is a disease caused by a virus. Scientists first identified this virus in December 2019. From January 2020 until May 2023, COVID-19 was a federal public health emergency in the United States.
The best way to protect yourself from COVID-19 is to stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines. Depending on your personal risk factors, you may choose to take additional precautions, like wearing a mask and improving ventilation in your home and workplace.
COVID-19 can be transmitted from person to person through the air. Symptoms of COVID-19 may include cough, runny nose, sore throat, tiredness, body aches, fever, chills, and new loss of taste or smell. Symptoms may appear two to 14 days after exposure to the virus. Some people infected with the virus don’t have any symptoms.
In March 2024, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its respiratory virus guidance for people with COVID-19. The guidance is simple and aligns with guidance for other respiratory viruses, including flu and RSV. Stay home until your symptoms improve and you have been fever free (without medication) for 24 hours. When you go back to your normal activities, take added precaution over the next five days, such as taking additional steps for cleaner air, hygiene, masks, physical distancing, and/or testing when you will be around other people indoors. People most at risk for severe illness, including those older than 65 years and people with weakened immune systems, may want to consider more precautions. This updated guidance is intended for community settings. There are no changes to respiratory virus guidance for health care settings, including CDPHE’s guidance for assisted living and group homes.
Most people with COVID-19 have mild illness and recover in a few weeks. But some people get very sick, and some die from the disease. Some people are sick from COVID-19 for a long time.
Learn more about COVID-19 at the links below. Find easy to read COVID-19 materials from CDC.
