What To Do if You Are Sick or Exposed

What To Do if You Have Been Exposed

* If you have had only one dose of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine OR if you got your last vaccine (Moderna, Pfizer, or Johnson & Johnson) less than 14 days ago, you are not fully vaccinated. 

** If you meet the following criteria, you are considered fully vaccinated: you received the second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine more than 14 days ago OR you received the first and only dose of the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccine more than 14 days ago

If you are not fully vaccinated: 

• Determine if you need to quarantine: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/quarantine.html
  • Quarantine is advised, avoid contact with others and do not enter public spaces for 10 days following the exposure
  • Quarantine can be reduced to 7 days if you receive a negative test no sooner than 5 days after exposure.

If you are fully vaccinated: 

• Get tested 5-7 days after the exposure
• Wear a mask in indoor, public spaces for 14 days after exposure or until you test negative (3-5 days after exposure)
• You do not need to quarantine if you are not showing symptoms
• Monitor for symptoms of COVID-19 
  • If you develop symptoms, quarantine and get tested as if you are not vaccinated

What To Do if You Have Symptoms

Guidelines apply to vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals

• Quarantine: Stay home and avoid contact with others. Do not visit any public spaces, except to receive medical care
• Contact Your Healthcare Provider: Call ahead before going to any non-emergency medical appointments or entering medical facilities. Your healthcare provider may have important instructions to keep the other patients safe. 
• Get Tested: There are several testing locations in Middletown that you can visit. For more information, see the "Testing Sites in Middletown" page 
• Notify Your Contacts: Notify anyone you had close contact with for up to 2 days prior to your symptoms onset so that they can take precautionary measures.
• Wear a Mask if interacting with uninfected individuals:If you are in shared spaces with household or non-household members, wear a mask to prevent them from getting sick. If you are quarantining alone, there is no need to wear a mask.
  • Children under the age of 2 should not wear masks
• Practice Good Hygiene: 
  • Wash your hands often, especially after sneezing, coughing, blowing your nose, before and after eating, and before touching high-contact surfaces
  • Disinfect high-contact surfaces daily 
  •  Cover your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing

What To Do if You Test Positive

Guidelines apply to vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals. The vaccines do not contain live virus, so they cannot cause you to test positive for COVID-19 on a PCR or antigen test.  

• Quarantine: Stay home and avoid contact with others. Do not visit any public spaces, except to receive medical care
• Contact Your Healthcare Provider: Call ahead before going to any non-emergency medical appointments or entering medical facilities. Your healthcare provider may have important instructions to keep the other patients safe. 
• Notify Your Contacts: Notify anyone you had close contact with for up to 2 days prior to either your symptom onset or positive result, whichever came first so that they can take precautionary measures.
• Wear a Mask if interacting with uninfected individuals: IfIf you are in shared spaces with household or non-household members, wear a mask to prevent them from getting sick. If you are quarantining alone, there is no need to wear a mask.
  • Children under the age of 2 should not wear masks
• Practice Good Hygiene: 
  • Wash your hands often, especially after sneezing, coughing, blowing your nose, before and after eating, and before touching high-contact surfaces
  • Disinfect high-contact surfaces daily 
  •  Cover your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing

When to Seek Emergency Care

If you are experiencing any of the following symptoms, call  9-1-1, your healthcare provider, or proceed to the nearest emergency room: 

• Trouble breathing

• Persistent pain or pressure in the chest

• New confusion

• Inability to wake or stay awake

• Pale, gray, or blue-colored skin, lips, or nail beds, depending on skin tone

• Any other severe or potentially life-threatening symptoms 

If calling 9-1-1, please notify the operator that you may have COVID-19 

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/quarantine.html