COVID-19 Information For Ohio | Fulton County Health Center (2024)

The CDC recommends that people who suspect they may have COVID-19 stay home and call their doctors in non-emergency situations. It’s important to follow these instructions to enable doctors to take care of you and to keep others from being exposed. If you’re not sick enough to be hospitalized, you can most likely recover at home. If you develop emergency warning signs for COVID-19, seek medical attention immediately. The CDC states that some emergency warning signs* for COVID-19 include:

• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
• Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
• New confusion or inability to arouse
• Bluish lips or face

*This list is not all-inclusive. Please consult your medical provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning.

• In the air by coughing and sneezing
• Close personal contact, such as touching or shaking hands
• Touching an object or surface with the virus on it, then touching your mouth, nose, or eyes before washing your hands
• Rarely, fecal contamination

There are currently three vaccines approved by the CDC. Getting vaccinated is the best way to protect yourself from severe disease. The best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to this virus. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) provides guidelines in helping you to protect yourself and others during these times. Below is information from the CDC website updated on 9-11-20 on how to protect yourself and others:

How to Protect Yourself & Others

Know how it spreads

• Getting the COVID-19 vaccine is the best way to protect yourself from severe disease.
• The best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to this virus.
• The virus is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person.
  • Between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet).
  • Through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks.
  • These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs.
  • Some recent studies have suggested that COVID-19 may be spread by people who are not showing symptoms.

Everyone Should

Wash your hands often

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds especially after you have been in a public place, or after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
• It’s especially important to wash:
  • Before eating or preparing food
  • Before touching your face
  • After using the restroom
  • After leaving a public place
  • After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
  • After handling your mask
  • After changing a diaper
  • After caring for someone sick
  • After touching animals or pets
• If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Cover all surfaces of your hands and rub them together until they feel dry.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.

Avoid close contact

• Inside your home: Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
  • If possible, maintain 6 feet between the person who is sick and other household members.
• Outside your home:Being closer to someone who is infected with COVID-19increasesthe risk of transmission. Crowded settings can raise your likelihood of being close to someone with COVID-19.
  • Remember that some people without symptoms may be able to spread virus.
  • Keeping distance from others is especially important for people who are at higher risk of getting very sick.

Cover your mouth and nose with a mask when around others

• You could spread COVID-19 to others even if you do not feel sick.
• The mask is meant to protect other people in case you are infected.
• Everyone should wear a maskin public settings and when around people who don’t live in your household, especially when other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain.
  • Masks 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.
• Do NOT use a mask meant for a healthcare worker. Currently, surgical masks and N95 respirators are critical supplies that should be reserved for healthcare workers and other first responders.
• Continue to keep about 6 feet between yourself and others. The mask is not a substitute for social distancing.

Cover coughs and sneezes

• Always cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze or use the inside of your elbow and do not spit.
• Throw used tissues in the trash.
• Immediately wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not readily available, clean your hands with a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.

Clean and disinfect

• Clean AND disinfect frequently touched surfacesdaily. This includes tables, doorknobs, light switches, countertops, handles, desks, phones, keyboards, toilets, faucets, and sinks.
• If surfaces are dirty, clean them. Use detergent or soap and water prior to disinfection.
• Then, use a household disinfectant. Most common EPA-registered household disinfectantsexternal iconwill work.

Monitor Your Health Daily

• Be alert for symptoms. Watch for fever, cough, shortness of breath, or other symptomsof COVID-19.
  • Especially important if you are running essential errands, going into the office or workplace, and in settings where it may be difficult to keep a physical distance of 6 feet.
• Take your temperature if symptoms develop.
  • Don’t take your temperature within 30 minutes of exercising or after taking medications that could lower your temperature, like acetaminophen.
• Follow CDC guidanceif symptoms develop.

Protect Your Health This Flu Season

It’s likely that flu viruses and the virus that causes COVID-19 will both spread this fall and winter. Healthcare systems could be overwhelmed treating both patients with flu and patients with COVID-19. This means getting a flu vaccine during 2020-2021 is more important than ever.

While getting a flu vaccine will not protect against COVID-19 there are many important benefits, such as:

1. Flu vaccines have been shown to reduce the risk of flu illness, hospitalization, and death.
2. Getting a flu vaccine can also save healthcare resources for the care of patients with COVID-19

For more information visit the CDC website at: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html

For general questions regarding COVID-19, please call 1.833.4ASKODH (1.833.427.5634)

The CDC recommends that people who suspect they may have COVID-19 stay home and call their doctors in non-emergency situations. It’s important to follow these instructions to enable doctors to take care of you and to keep others from being exposed. If you’re not sick enough to be hospitalized, you can most likely recover at home. If you develop emergency warning signs for COVID-19, seek medical attention immediately. The CDC states that some emergency warning signs* for COVID-19 include:

• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
• Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
• New confusion or inability to arouse
• Bluish lips or face

*This list is not all-inclusive. Please consult your medical provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning.

• At least three days (72hours) have passed since recovery defined as resolution of fever of 100.4° without the use of fever reducing medications and improvement in respiratory symptoms (e.g. cough shortness of breath: and
• At least 7 days have passed since symptoms have first appeared.

Coronavirus.ohio.gov

CDC.gov

ODH.ohio.gov

fultoncountyhealthdept.com/