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-129 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.

Vaccine recommendations for people who are moderately or severely immunocompromised

Certain vaccine brands are recommended for specific age groups.

Initial COVID-19 vaccination series

If you have never had a COVID-19 vaccine, you start with an initial multi-dose series, given one time. The number of doses depends on your age and the vaccine brand you get.

Already completed initial series

Children ages 6 months–4 years: Get 2 doses of 2024–2025 COVID-19 vaccine from the same brand (either Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech, depending on what they received for their initial series) spaced 6 months apart.*

Children ages 5–11 years: Get 2 doses of 2024–2025 COVID-19 vaccine from either brand (Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech) spaced 6 months apart.*

People ages 12 years and older: Get 2 doses of 2024–2025 COVID-19 vaccine from any brand (Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech, or Novavax) spaced 6 months apart.*

Never received a COVID-19 vaccine

Children ages 6 months–4 years: Get initial series of 2024–2025 COVID-19 vaccine from the same brand (either Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech), followed by 1 dose from the same brand 6 months later.*

Children ages 5–11 years: Get initial series of 2024–2025 vaccines from the same brand, followed by 1 dose from either brand (Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech) 6 months later.*

People ages 12 years and older: Get initial series of 2024–2025 COVID-19 vaccines from the same brand (Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech, or Novavax), followed by 1 dose from any brand 6 months later.*

Started but did not complete initial series

Children ages 6 months–4 years: Complete their initial series with the same vaccine brand they started with (Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech). Then receive 1 more dose of 2024–2025 COVID-19 vaccine from the same brand 6 months later.*

Children ages 5–11 years: Complete their initial series with the same vaccine brand they started with. Then receive 1 more dose of 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine from either brand (Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech) 6 months later.*

People ages 12 years and older: Complete the initial series with the same vaccine brand they started with. Then receive 1 more dose of 2024–2025 COVID-19 vaccine from any vaccine brand (Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech, or Novavax) 6 months later.*

Note: For all age groups, it is recommended to use the same brand of COVID-19 vaccine doses for the initial series. In some situations, a COVID-19 vaccine from a different brand may be used. Talk to your healthcare provider for more information.

*While it is the recommended to get 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine doses 6 months apart, the minimum time is 2 months apart, which allows flexibility to get the second dose prior to typical COVID-19 surges, travel, life events, and healthcare visits.

Getting additional doses

After talking with a healthcare provider, people who are moderately or severely immunocompromised may get more doses (in addition to the ones described above) at least 2 months after their last dose of 2024–2025 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

• Everyone ages 6 months and older should get a 2024–2025 COVID-19 vaccine.
• The COVID-19 vaccine helps protect you from severe disease, hospitalization, and death.
• It is especially important to get your 2024–2025 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.
• Vaccine protection decreases over time, so it is important to stay up to date with your COVID-19 vaccine.

Who Needs a COVID-19 Vaccine?

Everyone ages 6 months and older should get the 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine. This includes people who have received a COVID-19 vaccine before and people who have had COVID-19.

Importance of Staying Up to Date on Vaccines

Getting the 2024-2025 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 2024-2025 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

When are you up to date?

Children ages 6 months - 4 years

Your child is up to date when they have received all recommended doses, including at least 1 dose of the 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine.

If your child previously had:

• 0 doses (never vaccinated) - 2 doses of the 2024-2025 Moderna vaccine or 3 doses of the 2024-2025 Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine
• 1 or more doses of the Moderna vaccine - 1 dose of the 2024-2025 Moderna vaccine
• 1 dose of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine - 2 doses of the 2024-2025 Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine
• 2 or more doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine - 1 dose of the 2024-2025 Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine

Children ages 5-11 years

Your child is up to date when they have received:

• 1 dose of the 2024-2025 Moderna COVID-19 vaccine or
• 1 dose of the 2024-2025 Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine

People ages 12 years and older

You are up to date when you have received:

• 1 dose of the 2024-2025 Moderna COVID-19 vaccine OR
• 1 dose of the 2024-2025 Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine OR
• 1 dose of the 2024–2025 Novavax vaccine unless you are receiving a COVID-19 vaccine for the very first time. If you have never received any COVID-19 vaccine and you choose to get Novavax, you need 2 doses of 2024–2025 Novavax COVID-19 vaccine to be up to date. 

People ages 12-64 years

You are up to date when you have received:

• 1 dose of the 2024-2025 Moderna COVID-19 vaccine OR
• 1 dose of the 2024-2025 Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine OR
• 1 dose of the 2024–2025 Novavax vaccine unless you are receiving a COVID-19 vaccine for the very first time. If you have never received any COVID-19 vaccine and you choose to get Novavax, you need 2 doses of 2024–2025 Novavax COVID-19 vaccine to be up to date. 

People ages 65 years and older

You are up to date when you have received:

• 2 doses of any 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine 6 months apart
  • While it is recommended to get 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine doses 6 months apart, the minimum time is 2 months apart, which allows flexibility to get the second dose prior to typical COVID-19 surges, travel, life events, and healthcare visits

Exceptions

• If you are receiving a COVID-19 vaccine for the first time and getting Novavax, you need:
  • 2 doses of 2024-2025 Novavax COVID-19 vaccine 3-8 weeks apart
  • a 3rd dose of any COVID-19 vaccine 6 months later
• If you received 1 dose of Novavax vaccine before the 2024-2025 vaccine, you need:
  • a 2nd dose of 2024-2025 Novavax vaccine AND
  • a 3rd dose of any 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine 6 months later
     

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

Recommended 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 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccines more closely target the JN.1 lineage of the Omicron variant. 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccines are updated to give you the best protection from the currently circulating strains.

Vaccine Recommended for everyone ages 6 months and older:

• 2024–2025 Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine
• 2024–2025 Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine

Vaccine Recommended for everyone ages 12 years and older

• 2024-2025 Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine

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.

Vaccine ingredients vary by manufacturer. None of the COVID-19 vaccines contain eggs, gelatin, latex, or preservatives.

Learn more about the ingredients in COVID-19 vaccines:

• Pfizer BioNTech
• Moderna
• Novavax

CDC no longer distributes the white CDC COVID-19 Vaccination cards and does not maintain vaccination records.

Your state’s immunization information system (IIS) cannot issue you a vaccination card, but they can provide a digital or paper copy of your full vaccination record, including your COVID-19 vaccinations. Contact your state health department’s IIS.

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 is generally administered at a standard dose of 300 mg (two 150 mg tablets) of nirmatrelvir with one 100 mg tablet of ritonavir, given twice daily for five days. One standard dose carton contains blister packs of Paxlovid, as co-packaged nirmatrelvir tablets with ritonavir tablets, providing all required doses for a full five-day treatment course. The modified dose for patients with moderate renal impairment (eGFR ≥30 to <60 mL/min) is reduced to 150 mg nirmatrelvir (one 150 mg tablet) with 100 mg ritonavir (one 100 mg tablet), with both tablets taken together twice daily for five days (PAXLOVID is not recommended in patients with severe renal impairment [eGFR <30 mL/min]). For more information, please visit www.PAXLOVID.com. (Source: Pfizer)

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
• 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 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. 

You will receive a Dose Pack containing single-dose blister cards (containing 10 blister cards).

• 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. 
• Take your first dose of Paxlovid in the morning or evening, depending on when you pick up your prescription, or as your healthcare provider tells you to. 
• 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 Respiratory Virus Guidance

What to know

Each year, respiratory viruses are responsible for millions of illnesses and thousands of hospitalizations and deaths in the United States. In addition to the virus that causes COVID-19, there are many other types of respiratory viruses, including flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The good news is there are actions you can take to help protect yourself and others from health risks caused by respiratory viruses.

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.

Steps you can take

Individuals can:

• Plan in advance of any illness so you can be ready to get tested quickly, particularly if you are someone who could benefit from treatment for respiratory viruses.
• Order free COVID-19 antigen tests through the U.S. Postal Service or purchase them from many retailers.
• Antigen tests can be used for screening before gathering with others, especially to help protect people in your life who have risk factors for severe illness. However, false negatives are possible; false positives are uncommon.

Organizations can:

• Provide employees with paid time off to seek testing for respiratory viruses, as needed.

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 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.