FAQs, Vaccines, Boosters, & Antivirals

You can be immunocompromised (have a weakened immune system) because of a medical condition or if you received medications or treatments that suppress your immune system.

You can self-confirm if you are moderately or severely immunocompromised. This means you do NOT need documentation to receive a COVID-19 vaccination you are eligible for.

The IMF strongly recommends that patients with multiple myeloma (MM), smoldering multiple myeloma (SMM), or monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) get vaccinated either with the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine or Moderna vaccine, whichever is available. These vaccines offer excellent benefits, and in general, have very limited and brief side effects or toxicities. Currently, the efficacy of these vaccines far outweighs any toxicity concerns.

Before getting the COVID-19 vaccine, it’s best to consult with your doctor first to discuss your medical condition in order to address questions and concerns which may arise before planning for your vaccination.

CDC recomments an updated COVID-19 vaccine for most adults ages 18 years and older.

Please refer to the following CDC resources for immunization schedule by age, medical condition, and other indication:

• Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule by Medical Indication
• Adult Immunization Schedule by Medical Condition and Other Indication

Additionally, certain vaccine brands are recommended for specific age groups.

Getting additional doses

After talking with a healthcare provider, people who are moderately or severely immunocompromised may get more doses at least 2 months after their last dose of an updated COVID-19 vaccine. For children ages 6 months–4 years, these doses should be the same vaccine brand.

Get more details about these recommendations.

People who recently had COVID-19

If you recently had COVID-19, you may delay getting a COVID-19 vaccine for 3 months from either the date your symptoms started or, if you didn't have symptoms, the date you received a positive test.

The risk of getting COVID-19 is less likely in the weeks to months following a SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Certain factors could be reasons to get a vaccine sooner rather than later, such as:

• Personal risk of severe COVID-19
• Risk of COVID-19 in a family or household member or other close contact
• Local levels of COVID-19 illness
   

• COVID-19 vaccines help protect against severe illness, hospitalization, and death.
• Immunocompromised people are at higher risk of severe illness, which is why vaccination is especially important for this group.
•  People ages 6 months and older who are moderately or severely immunocompromised should get at least 2 doses of the 2024–2025 COVID-19 vaccine 6 months apart.*
• Vaccine recommendations vary depending on age and vaccination history. Check below to find specific recommendations for you or your child.
• People with immunocompromising conditions are eligible for COVID-19 treatment and should seek care if they get sick, regardless of their vaccination status.

What you need to know, according to the CDC

• CDC recommends a 2025-2026 COVID-19 vaccine for people ages 6 months and older based on individual-based decision-making.
• The COVID-19 vaccine helps protect you from severe illness, hospitalization, and death.
• It is especially important to get your 2025–2026 COVID-19 vaccine if you are ages 65 and older, are at high risk for severe COVID-19, or have never received a COVID-19 vaccine.
• Parents of children ages 6 months to 17 years should discuss the benefits of vaccination with a healthcare provider.
• Vaccine protection decreases over time, so it is important to get your 2025–2026 COVID-19 vaccine.

Who Needs a COVID-19 Vaccine?

CDC recommends a 2025-2026 COVID-19 vaccine for people ages 6 months and older based on individual-based decision-making. This includes people who have received a COVID-19 vaccine, people who have had COVID-19, and people with long COVID.

Importance of Staying Up to Date on Vaccines

Getting the 2025-2026 COVID-19 vaccine is important because:

• Protection from the COVID-19 vaccine decreases with time.
• Immunity after COVID-19 infection decreases with time.
• COVID-19 vaccines are updated to give you the best protection from the currently circulating strains.

Getting the 2025-2026 COVID-19 vaccine is especially important if you:

• Never received a COVID-19 vaccine
• Are aged 65 years or older
• Are at high risk for severe COVID-19
• Are living in a long-term care facility
• Are pregnant, breastfeeding, trying to get pregnant, or might become pregnant in the future.
• Want to lower your risk of getting Long COVID

Keep in mind

Getting a COVID-19 vaccine is a safer, more reliable way to build protection than getting sick with COVID-19.

When are you up to date?

CDC recommends a 2025-2026 COVID-19 vaccine for people ages 6 months and older based on individual-based decision-making.

People who are moderately or severely immunocompromised
There are different recommendations if you are moderately or severely immunocompromised; see Vaccines for Moderately to Severely Immunocompromised People.

People who recently had COVID-19

• If you recently had COVID-19, you may delay getting a COVID-19 vaccine for 3 months after symptoms started OR after receiving a positive test with no symptoms.
• The risk of getting COVID-19 is less likely in the weeks to months following a SARS-CoV-2 infection.
• Certain factors could be reasons to get a vaccine sooner rather than later, such as:
  • Personal risk of severe COVID-19
  • Risk of COVID-19 in a family or household member or other close contact
  • Local levels of COVID-19 illness

Available COVID-19 Vaccines

Three vaccines are available for use in the United States. There is no preference for one vaccine over the other when more than one vaccine is recommended for an age group.

The 2025-2026 COVID-19 vaccines are updated to give you the best protection from the currently circulating strains.

Vaccines 

• 2025–2026 Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine: Spikevax — Anyone ages 6 months and older
• 2025-2026 Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine: mNexspike — Anyone ages 12 years and older
• 2025–2026 Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine: Comirnaty — Anyone ages 5 years and older
• 2025-2026 Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine: Nuvaxovid — Anyone ages 12 years and older

No. You should wait to be vaccinated to avoid potentially exposing healthcare personnel and others during the vaccination visit.

Stay home and away from others (including people you live with who are not sick) if you have a respiratory virus. You can go back to your normal activities when, for at least 24 hours, both are true:

• Your symptoms are getting better overall, and
• You have not had a fever (and are not using fever-reducing medication).

When you go back to your normal activities, take added precaution over the next 5 days, such as taking additional steps for cleaner air, hygiene, masks, physical distancing, and/or testing when you will be around other people indoors.

Learn more about the benefits of getting a COVID-19 vaccine.
 

Adults and children may have some side effects from a COVID-19 vaccine, including pain, redness or swelling at the injection site, tiredness, headache, muscle pain, chills, fever, and nausea. These side effects typically resolve after a few days. Serious side effects are rare but may occur.

Yes. You should get a COVID-19 vaccine even if you had COVID-19 infection.

Getting a COVID-19 vaccine after you recover provides added protection. You may consider delaying your vaccine by 3 months. However, certain factors could be reasons to get a vaccine sooner rather than later, such as:

• Personal risk of severe disease
• Risk of disease in a loved one or close contact
• COVID-19 is causing a lot of illness in your community
• COVID-19 variant currently causing the most illness

People who already had COVID-19 and do not get vaccinated after their recovery are more likely to get COVID-19 again.

There are different types of vaccines.

• All COVID-19 vaccines prompt our bodies to recognize and help protect us from the virus that causes COVID-19.
• Currently, there are two types of COVID-19 vaccines for use in the United States: mRNA, and protein subunit vaccines.

None of these vaccines can give you COVID-19.

• Vaccines do not use any live virus.
• Vaccines cannot cause infection with the virus that causes COVID-19 or other viruses.

COVID-19 vaccines do not affect or interact with our DNA.

• These vaccines do not enter the nucleus of the cell where our DNA (genetic material) is located, so they cannot change or influence our genes.

mRNA vaccines (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna)

To trigger an immune response, many vaccines put a weakened or inactivated germ into our bodies. Not mRNA vaccines. Instead, mRNA vaccines use mRNA created in a laboratory to teach our cells how to make a protein—or even just a piece of a protein—that triggers an immune response inside our bodies. This immune response, which produces antibodies, is what helps protect us from getting sick from that germ in the future.

How mRNA COVID-19 vaccines work

• First, mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are given in the upper arm muscle or upper thigh, depending on the age of who is getting vaccinated.
• After vaccination, the mRNA will enter the muscle cells. Once inside, they use the cells’ machinery to produce a harmless piece of what is called the spike protein. The spike protein is found on the surface of the virus that causes COVID-19. After the protein piece is made, our cells break down the mRNA and remove it, leaving the body as waste.
• Next, our cells display the spike protein piece on their surface. Our immune system recognizes that the protein does not belong there. This triggers our immune system to produce antibodies and activate other immune cells to fight off what it thinks is an infection. This is what your body might do if you got sick with COVID-19.
• At the end of the process, our bodies have learned how to help protect against future infection with the virus that causes COVID-19. The benefit is that people get this protection from a vaccine, without ever having to risk the potentially serious consequences of getting sick with COVID-19. Any side effects from getting the vaccine are normal signs the body is building protection.

Research for mRNA technology

Researchers have been studying and working with mRNA vaccines for decades.

• In fact, mRNA vaccines have been studied before for flu, Zika, rabies, and cytomegalovirus (CMV).
• Beyond vaccines, cancer research has also used mRNA to trigger the immune system to target specific cancer cells.

Protein subunit vaccines (Novavax)

Protein subunit vaccines contain pieces (proteins) of the virus that causes COVID-19. These virus pieces are the spike protein. The vaccine also contains another ingredient called an adjuvant that helps the immune system respond to that spike protein in the future. Once the immune system knows how to respond to the spike protein, the immune system will be able to respond quickly to the actual virus spike protein and protect you against COVID-19.

How protein subunit COVID-19 vaccines work

• Protein subunit COVID-19 vaccines are given in the upper arm muscle. After vaccination, nearby cells pick up these proteins.
• Next, our immune system recognizes that these proteins do not belong there. Another ingredient in the vaccine, the adjuvant, helps our immune system to produce antibodies and activate other immune cells to fight off what it thinks is an infection. This is what your body might do if you got sick with COVID-19.
• At the end of the process, our bodies have learned how to help protect against future infection with the virus that causes COVID-19. The benefit is that people get this protection from a vaccine, without ever having to risk the potentially serious consequences of getting sick with COVID-19. Many side effects from getting the vaccine are normal signs the body is building protection.

Paxlovid is a medicine that is available under EUA for the treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 in adults and children 12 years of age and older weighing at least 88 pounds (40 kg) who are at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19, including hospitalization or death. 

Paxlovid is FDA-approved for the treatment of COVID-19 in certain adults. 

Paxlovid is not FDA-approved or available under EUA for use in children younger than 12 years or weighing less than 88 pounds (40 kg).

There is limited information about the safety and effectiveness of using Paxlovid to treat children younger than 12 years or weighing less than 88 pounds (40 kg) with mild-to-moderate COVID-19.

Paxlovid can interact with other medicines causing severe or life-threatening side effects or death. It is important to know the medicines that should not be taken with Paxlovid. 

Do NOT take Paxlovid if you are taking any of the following medicines:

• alfuzosin
• amiodarone
• apalutamide
• carbamazepine
• colchicine
• dihydroergotamine 
• dronedarone
• eletriptan
• enzalutamide
• eplerenone
• ergotamine
• finerenone
• flecainide
• flibanserin
• ivabradine 
• lomitapide
• lovastatin
• lumacaftor/ivacaftor 
• lurasidone
• methylergonovine 
• midazolam (oral)
• naloxegol
• phenobarbital
• phenytoin
• pimozide
• primidone
• propafenone
• quinidine 
• ranolazine
• rifampin
• rifapentine
• St. John’s Wort (hypericum perforatum) 
• sildenafil (Revatio®) for pulmonary arterial hypertension 
• silodosin 
• simvastatin 
• tolvaptan
• triazolam
• ubrogepant 
• voclosporin 

These are not the only medicines that may cause serious or life-threatening side effects if taken with Paxlovid. Paxlovid may increase or decrease the levels of multiple other medicines. It is very important to tell your healthcare provider about all of the medicines you are taking because additional laboratory tests or changes in the dose of your other medicines may be necessary during treatment with Paxlovid. Your healthcare provider may also tell you about specific symptoms to watch out for that may indicate that you need to stop or decrease the dose of some of your other medicines. 

Do NOT take Paxlovid if you are allergic to nirmatrelvir, ritonavir, or any of the ingredients in Paxlovid. (Source: FDA)

Tell your healthcare provider if you: 

• have kidney problems. You may need a different dose or dosing schedule of Paxlovid.
• have liver problems, including hepatitis.
• have Human Immunodeficiency Virus 1 (HIV-1) infection. Paxlovid may lead to some HIV-1 medicines not working as well in the future.
• are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if Paxlovid can harm your unborn baby. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you are or if you become pregnant. 
• are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known of Paxlovid can pass into your breastmilk. Talk to your healthcare provider about the best way to feed your baby during treatment with Paxlovid.

Some medicines may interact with Paxlovid and may cause serious side effects. 

• Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. 
• Your healthcare provider can tell you if it is safe to take Paxlovid with other medicines. 
• You can ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist for a list of medicines that interact with Paxlovid. 
• Do not start taking a new medicine without telling your healthcare provider. 

Tell your healthcare provider if you are taking combined birth control (hormonal contraceptive). Paxlovid may affect how your hormonal contraceptives work. Females who are able to become pregnant should use another effective alternative form of contraception or an additional barrier method of contraception during treatment with Paxlovid. 

Talk to your healthcare provider if you have any questions about contraceptive methods that might be right for you. 

Take Paxlovid exactly as your healthcare provider tells you to take it. Paxlovid consists of 2 medicines: nirmatrelvir tablets and ritonavir tablets. The 2 medicines are taken together 2 times each day for 5 days. 

• Nirmatrelvir is an oval, pink tablet. 
• Ritonavir is a white or off-white tablet. 

Paxlovid is available in 3 Dose Packs. Your healthcare provider will prescribe the Paxlovid Dose Pack that is right for you. Follow the instruction for the Dose Pack you receive. 

• If you have kidney disease, your healthcare provider may prescribe a lower dose. Talk to your healthcare provider to make sure you receive the correct Dose Pack.
• Do not remove your Paxlovid tablets from the blister card before you are ready to take your dose. 
• If you are taking Paxlovid tablets twice daily, take your first dose of Paxlovid in the morning or at bedtime, depending on when you pick up your prescription, as your healthcare provider tells you to. Take your doses at around the same time each day.
• Swallow the tablets whole. Do not chew, break, or crush the tablets. 
• Take Paxlovid with or without food. 
• Do not stop taking Paxlovid without talking to your healthcare provider, even if you feel better. 
• If you miss a dose of Paxlovid within 8 hours of the time it is usually taken, take it as soon as you remember. If you miss a dose by more than 8 hours, skip the missed dose and take the next dose at your regular time. Do not take 2 doses of PAXLOVID at the same time. 
• If you take too much Paxlovid, call your healthcare provider or go to the nearest hospital emergency room right away. 
• If you are taking a ritonavir- or cobicistat-containing medicine to treat hepatitis C or HIV-1 infection, you should continue to take your medicine as prescribed by your healthcare provider. 

Talk to your healthcare provider if you do not feel better or if you feel worse after 5 days. 

Paxlovid may cause serious side effects, including: 

• Allergic reactions, including severe allergic reactions (anaphylaxis) have happened during treatment with Paxlovid. Stop taking Paxlovid and get medical help right away if you get any of the following symptoms of an allergic reaction: skin rash, hives, blisters or peeling skin; painful sores or ulcers in the mouth, nose, throat or genital area; swelling of the mouth, lips, tongue or face; trouble swallowing or breathing; throat tightness or hoarseness 
• Liver Problems

Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get any of the following signs and symptoms of liver problems during treatment with Paxlovid: 

• loss of appetite
• yellowing of your skin and the white of eyes
• dark-colored urine
• pale colored stools
• itchy skin
• stomach-area (abdominal) pain 

The most common side effects of Paxlovid include: altered sense of taste and diarrhea. 

Other possible side effects include: 

• headache 
• vomiting 
• abdominal pain 
• nausea 
• high blood pressure 
• feeling generally unwell 

These are not all the possible side effects of Paxlovid. For more information, ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist. 

Paxlovid is FDA-approved for the treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 in certain adults.

Veklury (remdesivir) is FDA-approved for the treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 in certain adults and children.  This intravenous (IV) therapy is approved for use in both hospitalized and non-hospitalized settings. Talk with your healthcare provider to see if Veklury is appropriate for you. 

For information on the emergency use of other medicines that are authorized by FDA to treat people with COVID-19, please go to https://www.fda.gov/emergency-preparedness-and-response/mcm-legal-regulatory-and-policy-framework/emergency-use-authorization. Your healthcare provider may talk with you about clinical trials for which you may be eligible. 

It is your choice to be treated or not to be treated with Paxlovid. Should you decide not to receive it or for your child not to receive it, it will not change your standard medical care. 

To know more about other COVID-19 treatment options, visit the FDA website.

There is limited experience treating pregnant women or breastfeeding mothers with Paxlovid. For a mother and unborn baby, the benefit of taking Paxlovid may be greater than the risk from the treatment. If you are pregnant, discuss your options and specific situation with your healthcare provider. 

If you are breastfeeding, discuss your options and specific situation with your healthcare provider. 

Contact your healthcare provider if you have any side effects that bother you or do not go away. 

Report side effects or problems with the appearance or packaging of Paxlovid to FDA MedWatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088 or you can report side effects to Pfizer Inc. at www.pfizersafetyreporting.com, or by calling 1-800-438-1985.

Store Paxlovid tablets at room temperature, between 68 degrees F to 77 degrees F (20 degrees C to 25 degrees C). Keep Paxlovid and all medicines out of the reach of children.

According to HHS:

Beginning March 1, 2025, Medicare patients who meet income eligibility (at or below 300% of the Federal Poverty Level) and who are either under-insured for Part D (prescription coverage) or do not have Part D coverage may be able to receive Paxlovid at no charge through the U.S. Government Patient Assistance Program operated by Pfizer. Medicare beneficiaries who are under-insured are those who would have a high co-pay for Paxlovid and cannot afford the medication.

Under-insured patients with public insurance and uninsured patients can receive Paxlovid who meet income eligibility (at or below 300% of the Federal Poverty Level) can receive Paxlovid at no charge with the U.S. Government Patient Assistance Program operated by Pfizer. Learn more on Pfizer's Paxlovid website. Patients who are under-insured are those who would have a high co-pay for Paxlovid and cannot afford the medication.
 

According to the CDC's Preventing Respiratory Illnesses 

At a glance

• CDC provides practical recommendations to help people lower health risks posed by a range of common respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19, flu, and RSV.
• Essential core prevention strategies are actions that everyone can take to protect themselves and others from respiratory illnesses.
• Additional prevention actions offer an extra layer of protection and can be especially important in certain settings.

Reducing risk
Respiratory illnesses can make anyone sick. However, some people have risk factors that can increase their chances of getting very sick (severe illness). If you are, or if you spend time with someone, at higher risk for getting very sick, these prevention strategies are especially important.

Core prevention strategies
Core prevention strategies are essential practices recommended for everyone. They provide a foundation of protection for you and your loved ones:

• Stay up to date with recommended immunizations. Talk to your doctor or trusted healthcare provider about what may be recommended for you and your family.
• Practice good hygiene like washing your hands regularly and cleaning commonly touched surfaces.
• Take steps for cleaner air as possible in places where people live and work.

When sick with a respiratory illness:

• Use precautions to prevent spread. Stay home and away from others.
• Seek health care promptly for treatment if you have risk factors for severe illness; treatment may help lower your risk of severe illness.

Additional prevention strategies
Additional prevention strategies you can choose to further protect yourself and others include are extra measures that can further reduce your risk of respiratory illness. They can provide an extra layer of protection and can be especially important in certain settings or when illnesses are increasing in your community.

• Wearing masks
• Physical distancing
• Tests

You may not be aware of the things that can make others more vulnerable to serious illness. If you are unsure about the health condition or risk status of those around you, the most protective option is choosing to use these additional prevention strategies.

Key times for prevention
All of the prevention strategies described in this guidance can be helpful to reduce risk. They are especially helpful when:

• Respiratory viruses are causing a lot of illness in your community. One thing to remember, though, is that vaccines take time to work. It's best to get vaccinated before viruses start spreading in your community.
• You or the people around you were recently exposed to a respiratory virus, are sick, or are recovering.
• You or the people around you have risk factors for severe illness.

Notice
CDC offers separate, specific guidance for healthcare settings (COVID-19, flu, and general infection prevention and control). Federal civil rights laws may require reasonable modifications or reasonable accommodations in various circumstances. Nothing in this guidance is intended to detract from or supersede those laws.

CDC’s Respiratory Virus Guidance

This guidance provides practical recommendations and information to help people lower risk from a range of common respiratory viral illnesses, including COVID-19, flu, and RSV.

• Preventing Respiratory Viruses
• Immunizations for Respiratory Viruses
• Hygiene and Respiratory Virus Prevention
• Taking Steps for Cleaner Air for Respiratory Virus Prevention
• Preventing Spread of Respiratory Viruses When You're Sick
• Masks and Respiratory Virus Prevention
• Physical Distancing and Respiratory Viruses
• Testing and Respiratory Viruses

CDC:Immunizations for Respiratory Viruses Prevention

What to know

• Immunizations are a core prevention strategy to lower risk from respiratory viruses.
• Core prevention strategies are important steps you can take to protect yourself and others from respiratory viruses.

Immunizations‎
Stay up to date with the immunizations that are recommended for you.

• For most people that means getting a current flu and COVID-19 vaccine.
• Adults ages 60 years and older should talk to their healthcare provider about whether an RSV vaccine is right for them.
• To prevent severe RSV disease in infants, CDC recommends either the pregnant mother gets an RSV vaccine, or the infant gets an immunization with an RSV monoclonal antibody. Most infants will not need both.

How it works
Immunizations help prepare your body to defend itself from viruses and severe illness. Some immunizations teach your immune system what the virus looks like so it can prepare to protect against it. Other immunizations directly provide you with antibodies to protect you from the virus. Getting vaccinated can reduce your chances of getting infected to some degree, but its main strength is preventing severe illness and death. More and more evidence suggests that the COVID-19 vaccine can also lower your chances of developing Long COVID.

Steps you can take

Individuals can:

• Talk with a healthcare provider to make sure you are up to date on vaccines.
• Review the vaccine schedule to become familiar with the immunizations recommended for you and when you should get them.
• Visit www.vaccines.gov to locate flu and COVID-19 vaccines near you.
• Learn more about how vaccine recommendations are made.
• Talk to your friends and family about the benefits of getting vaccinated.

Organizations can:

• Organize vaccination clinics at workplaces. This helps remove obstacles to accessing vaccines.
• Partner with trusted community members (such as doctors, nurses, health educators, or faith-based and community leaders) and have them attend vaccination events to share accurate information about vaccines.
• Provide employees with paid time off to get vaccinated and recover from any side effects.

Key times for prevention
All of the prevention strategies described in this guidance can be helpful to reduce risk. They are especially helpful when:

• Respiratory viruses are causing a lot of illness in your community.
• You or the people around you were recently exposed to a respiratory virus, are sick, or are recovering.
• You or the people around you have risk factors for severe illness.

Note: CDC offers separate, specific guidance for healthcare settings (COVID-19, flu, and general infection prevention and control). Federal civil rights laws may require reasonable modifications or reasonable accommodations in various circumstances. Nothing in this guidance is intended to detract from or supersede those laws.

CDC: Masks and Respiratory Viruses Prevention

What to Know
Wearing a mask is an additional prevention strategy that you can choose to further protect yourself and others.

An additional strategy to further protect yourself and others
Wearing a mask can help lower the risk of respiratory virus transmission. When worn by a person with an infection, masks reduce the spread of the virus to others. Masks can also protect wearers from breathing in infectious particles from people around them. Different masks offer different levels of protection. Wearing the most protective one you can comfortably wear for extended periods of time that fits well (completely covering the nose and mouth) is the most effective option.

How it works
Generally, masks can help act as a filter to reduce the number of germs you breathe in or out. Their effectiveness can vary against different viruses, for example, based on the size of the virus. When worn by a person who has a virus, masks can reduce the chances they spread it to others. Masks can also protect wearers from inhaling germs; this type of protection typically comes from better fitting masks (for example, N95 or KN95 respirators).

There are many different types of masks that have varying abilities to block viruses depending on their design and how well they fit against your face. Cloth masks generally offer lower levels of protection to wearers, surgical/disposable masks usually offer more protection, international filtering facepiece respirators (like KN95 respirators) offer even more, and the most protective respirators are NIOSH Approved® filtering facepiece respirators (like N95® respirators).

Steps you can take

Individuals can:

• When choosing to wear a mask, choose the most protective type you can. Determine how well it fits. Gaps can let air leak in and out. Check for gaps by cupping your hands around the outside edges of the mask. If the mask has a good fit, you will feel warm air come through the front of the mask and may be able to see the mask material move in and out with each breath.
• Learn about proper technique for wearing an N95 respirator.

Organizations can:

• Provide free, high-quality masks to your workforce or visitors in times of higher respiratory viral spread.

Key times for prevention
All of the prevention strategies described in this guidance can be helpful to reduce risk. They are especially helpful when:

• Respiratory viruses are causing a lot of illness in your community.
• You or the people around you were recently exposed to a respiratory virus, are sick, or are recovering
• You or the people around you have risk factors for severe illness.

Note: CDC offers separate, specific guidance for healthcare settings (COVID-19, flu, and general infection prevention and control). Federal civil rights laws may require reasonable modifications or reasonable accommodations in various circumstances. Nothing in this guidance is intended to detract from or supersede those laws.

CDC: Testing and Respiratory Viruses

What to Know
Testing is an additional prevention strategy that you can choose to assist in making decisions to further protect yourself and others.

An additional strategy to further protect yourself and others
Testing for respiratory viruses can help you decide what to do next, like getting treatment to reduce your risk of severe illness and taking steps to lower your chances of spreading a virus to others. There are various types of tests for respiratory virus infections. Antigen tests (“self-tests” or “rapid tests”) usually return results quickly (around 15 minutes). PCR tests are normally conducted by a healthcare provider. Although antigen tests are usually faster, they are not as good at detecting viruses as PCR tests. This means that you might get a negative result with an antigen test, but actually be infected with the virus.

How it works
Tests can help you find out if you are currently infected with a certain respiratory virus. While testing doesn’t change how likely you are to catch or spread respiratory viruses, or how severe your illness might be, it can provide useful information to help you make prevention or treatment choices.

Key times for prevention
All of the prevention strategies described in this guidance can be helpful to reduce risk. They are especially helpful when:

• Respiratory viruses are causing a lot of illness in your community.
• You or the people around you were recently exposed to a respiratory virus, are sick, or are recovering.
• You or the people around you have risk factors for severe illness.

Note: CDC offers separate, specific guidance for healthcare settings (COVID-19, flu, and general infection prevention and control). Federal civil rights laws may require reasonable modifications or reasonable accommodations in various circumstances. Nothing in this guidance is intended to detract from or supersede those laws.

According to CDC:

• Long COVID is a serious illness that can result in chronic conditions requiring comprehensive care.
• Long COVID can include a wide range of ongoing symptoms and conditions that can last weeks, months, or even years after COVID-19 illness.
• Anyone who had a SARS-CoV-2 infection, the virus that causes COVID-19, can experience Long COVID, including children.
• COVID-19 vaccination is the best available tool to prevent Long COVID.
• Living with Long COVID can be difficult and isolating, especially when there are no immediate answers or solutions.

According to CDC, Long COVID is a chronic condition that occurs after SARS-CoV-2 infection and is present for at least 3 months. Long COVID includes a wide range of symptoms or conditions that may improve, worsen, or be ongoing.

Anyone can get Long COVID
Long COVID occurs more often in people who had severe COVID-19 illness, but anyone who gets COVID-19 can experience it, including children.

Most people with Long COVID experience symptoms days after first learning they had COVID-19, but some people who later develop Long COVID do not know when they were infected. People can be reinfected with SARS-CoV-2 multiple times. Each time a person is infected with SARS-CoV-2, they have a risk of developing Long COVID. Long COVID symptoms and conditions can emerge, persist, resolve, and reemerge over weeks and months. These symptoms and conditions can range from mild to severe, may require comprehensive care, and can even result in a disability.

While rates of new cases of Long COVID have decreased since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, it remains a serious public health concern as millions of U.S. adults and children have been affected by Long COVID.

Testing and diagnosis
Long COVID is not one illness. There is no laboratory test that can determine if your symptoms or conditions are due to Long COVID. A positive SARS-CoV-2 test is not required for a Long COVID diagnosis. Your healthcare provider considers a diagnosis of Long COVID based on:

• Your health history
• If you had a diagnosis of COVID-19 by a positive test, symptoms, or exposure
• A health examination

Clinical evaluations and results of routine blood tests, chest X-rays, and electrocardiograms may be normal in someone with Long COVID. People experiencing Long COVID should seek care from a healthcare provider to create a personal medical management plan and improve their symptoms and quality of life. Talk to your healthcare provider if you think you or your child has Long COVID.

For more information on Long COVID Basics, visit the CDC website.