How can I prevent from getting COVID-19 disease?

There is currently no vaccine or antiviral therapy proven to be effective against COVID-19, although vaccine development and clinical drug trials are in their earliest stages. The best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to the virus. COVID-19 can be spread by those with asymptomatic infections as well as by those who are in the early period of infection before symptoms develop. While most healthy children and adults will be able to manage their illness at home, this is not true for everybody. For everyone’s safety at this time, we encourage staying home as much as possible and limiting in-person social activities and exposures, including playdates with those outside your household. Avoid unnecessary international travel as well as busy public places. Practice “social distancing,” which means limiting close contact with others outside of your household and maintaining a physical distance of at least 6 feet from other people when outside the home.

In addition, these everyday preventive practices are recommended to help prevent the spread of respiratory diseases: 

• Wear a cloth face cover when it’s necessary to go out in public, to protect other people in case you are unknowingly infected. Continue to keep at least 6 feet between yourself and others. The cloth face cover is not a substitute for social distancing.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick. 
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
• Stay home when you are sick. 
• If you’re in a private setting and do not have on your cloth face covering, cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then discard in the trash and wash hands. Or, cover your cough or sneeze with your elbow or shoulder instead of hand. 
• Disinfect high-touch surfaces (e.g. phones, doorknobs, countertops, light switches, bathroom fixtures, etc.) using an EPA-certified cleaning product effective against COVID-19. More information on effective household disinfection recommendations can be found here.  
• Wash hands frequently, and especially before touching your eyes, nose, or mouth. A 20-30 second soap and warm water scrub of all hand surfaces is recommended if you have surface grime or residue on hands. Otherwise, a hand sanitizer made with at least 60% alcohol is adequate. Apply enough product to allow a 20 second rub of all hand surfaces. Store all hand sanitizers out of reach of young children. More information on proper hand hygiene use can be found here.