Five ways of preventing the spread of covid-19

Image

Español  简体中文   한국어   Tagalog   Việt

The COVID-19 pandemic demands that we remain vigilant in our daily lives as we return to everyday activities. We can each take some simple steps to protect ourselves, our families, and our communities.

The steps are:

1. Get a COVID-19 vaccine.
2. Wash your hands often with plain soap and water.
3. Cover your mouth and nose with a mask when around others.
4. Avoid crowds and practice social distancing (stay at least 6 feet apart from others).

Here are some ways you and your family can help slow the spread of coronavirus disease.

Help Stop COVID-19 by Getting Vaccinated

Everyone ages 5 and older can get vaccinated against COVID-19. Vaccination is one of the best ways to protect everyone who is eligible from COVID-19.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved two vaccines for the prevention of COVID-19 and issued emergency use authorizations (EUAs) for others. For the latest information on vaccines, visit this FDA page.

The FDA has also authorized two additional COVID-19 vaccines for emergency use in people 18 and older. Studies show that COVID-19 vaccines are effective at keeping you from getting COVID-19. Getting a COVID-19 vaccine will also help keep you from getting seriously ill even if you do get COVID-19.

COVID-19 vaccination is an important tool to help us get back to normal. Learn more about the benefits of getting vaccinated and how to get a vaccine. 

Wash Your Hands

The best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed (or exposing others) to this virus. First, practice simple hygiene. Wash your hands regularly with soap and water for 20 seconds – especially after going to the bathroom, before eating, and after coughing, sneezing, or blowing your nose. Learn how to wash your hands to prevent the spread of coronavirus and other illnesses.

If soap and water are not available, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that consumers use alcohol-based hand sanitizers containing at least 60% ethanol (also known as ethyl alcohol).

The FDA continues to warn consumers about hand sanitizers that contain methanol, also called wood alcohol. Methanol is very toxic and should never be used in hand sanitizer. If absorbed through the skin or swallowed, methanol can cause serious health problems, such as seizures and blindness, or even death.

Before you buy hand sanitizer or use some you already have at home, check this list to see if the hand sanitizer may possibly have methanol. Most hand sanitizers found to contain methanol do not list it as an ingredient on the label (because it is not an acceptable ingredient in the product), so it’s important to check the FDA’s list to see if the company or product is included. Continue checking this list often, as it is being updated routinely.

The FDA has also expanded the list to include hand sanitizers that contain other dangerous ingredients and products that have less than the required amount of the active ingredient.

The FDA advises consumers not to use hand sanitizers produced by the manufacturers identified on the list. Learn how to find your hand sanitizer on the list and how to safely use hand sanitizer.

Wear a Mask and Avoid Crowds 

Avoid crowds and poorly ventilated spaces. Avoid close contact (stay at least 6 feet, or about two arms’ length, away) with people who don’t live with you, even if they don’t appear sick, in both indoor and outdoor spaces. Some people without symptoms may be able to spread the coronavirus.

If you are not fully vaccinated, the CDC recommends wearing a mask in indoor public places. Wearing masks in public can help to slow the spread of the virus. They can help keep people who may have the virus and do not know it from transmitting it to others by helping prevent respiratory droplets from traveling into the air and onto other people when you cough, sneeze, or talk.

Learn how to protect yourself and others from coronavirus. And if you’ve been fully vaccinated, take these precautions to protect yourself and others.

Wearing a mask over your nose and mouth is required on planes, buses, trains, and other forms of public transportation traveling into, within, or out of the United States and while indoors at U.S. transportation hubs, such as airports and stations.

Donate Blood

Maintaining an adequate blood supply is vital to public health, even during a pandemic. Blood donors help patients of all ages and kinds – accident and burn victims, heart surgery and organ transplant patients, and those battling cancer and other life-threatening conditions. The American Red Cross estimates that every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood.

If you are healthy and feel well, contact a local donation center to make an appointment. Donation centers are taking steps to make sure donation is safe.

Report Fraudulent Coronavirus Tests, Vaccines, and Treatments

Some people and companies are selling products with fraudulent COVID-19 diagnostic, prevention, and treatment claims. Fraudulent COVID-19 products can come in many varieties, including products marketed as dietary supplements or other foods, as well as products claiming to be tests, other medical devices, drugs, or vaccines. So far, the FDA has approved only one treatment for COVID-19, and has authorized others for emergency use during this public health emergency. 

The sale of fraudulent COVID-19 products is a threat to the public health. You can help by reporting suspected fraud to the FDA’s Health Fraud Program or the Office of Criminal Investigations. You can also email .

If you have a question about a treatment or test being sold online, talk to your health care provider or doctor first. If you have a question about a medication, call your pharmacist or the FDA. The FDA’s Division of Drug Information (DDI) will answer almost any drug question. DDI pharmacists are available by email, , and by phone, 1-855-543-DRUG (3784) and 301-796-3400.

For the latest information about COVID-19, visit:

Steps you can take include:

• wash your hands often for 20 seconds with soap and water
• use alcohol-based hand sanitisers when you can’t use soap and water
• avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth
• clean and disinfect surfaces you use often such as benchtops, desks and doorknobs
• clean and disinfect objects you use often such as mobile phones, keys, wallets and work passes.

Masks

Wearing a mask can help protect you and those around you. To use a mask properly you should:

• wash or sanitise your hands before putting it on or taking it off
• make sure it covers your nose and mouth and fits snugly under your chin
• avoid touching the front of your mask while wearing or removing it
• keep it in place – don't hang it around your neck or under your nose
• use a new single use mask each time
• wash and dry reusable masks after use and store in a clean dry place.

Physical distancing

The more space between you and others, the harder it is for the virus to spread.

Physical distancing means:

• keeping 1.5 metres away from others wherever possible
• avoiding physical greetings such as handshaking, hugs and kisses
• practising extra care on public transport
• avoiding crowds and large gatherings
• practising good hygiene
• getting tested and staying at home if you have any cold or flu symptoms.

Other protections and support

Important update: Healthcare facilities

CDC has updated select ways to operate healthcare systems effectively in response to COVID-19 vaccination. Learn more

How to Protect Yourself & Others

CDC has updated isolation and quarantine recommendations for the public, and is revising the CDC website to reflect these changes. These recommendations do not apply to healthcare personnel and do not supersede state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations.

Some members in your family may need to continue to take steps to protect themselves from COVID-19, including

• Anyone not fully vaccinated, including children under 5 years who are not eligible for COVID-19 vaccines.
• People with weakened immune systems or underlying medical conditions.

Protect Your Family

head side mask light icon

• Everyone ages 2 years and older should properly wear a well-fitting mask indoors in public in areas where the COVID-19 Community Level is high, regardless of vaccination status.
• Wear a mask with the best fit, protection, and comfort for you.
• If you are in an area with a high COVID-19 Community Level and are ages 2 or older, wear a mask indoors in public.
• If you are sick and need to be around others, or are caring for someone who has COVID-19, wear a mask.
• If you are at increased risk for severe illness, or live with or spend time with someone at higher risk, speak to your healthcare provider about wearing a mask at medium COVID-19 Community Levels.
• People who have a condition or are taking medications that weaken their immune system may not be fully protected even if they are up to date on their COVID-19 vaccines. They should talk to their healthcare providers about what additional precautions may be necessary.

Everyone aged 2 years or older—including passengers and workers— should properly wear a well-fitting  mask or respirator in indoor areas of public transportation (such as airplanes, trains, buses, ferries) and transportation hubs (such as airports, stations, and seaports), especially in locations that are crowded or poorly ventilated such as airport jetways.

• Inside your home: Avoid close contact with people who are sick, if possible. If possible, maintain 6 feet between the person who is sick and other household members. If you are taking care of someone who is sick, make sure you properly wear a well-fitting mask and follow other steps to protect yourself.
• Indoors in public: If you are not up to date on COVID-19 vaccines, stay at least 6 feet away from other people, especially if you are at higher risk of getting very sick with COVID-19.

• You can choose from many different types of tests.
• Tests for SARS-CoV-2(the virus that causes COVID-19) tell you if you have an infection at the time of the test. This type of test is called a viral test because it looks for viral infection.
• Regardless of the test type you select, a positive test result means that you have an infection and should isolate and inform your close contacts to avoid spreading disease to others.
• Over-the-counter self-tests are viral tests that can be used at home or anywhere, are easy to use, and produce rapid results. Anyone can use self-tests, regardless of their vaccination status or whether they have symptoms.
• COVID-19 self-tests are one of many risk-reduction measures, along with vaccination, masking, and physical distancing, that protect you and others by reducing the chances of spreading COVID-19.

• 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 your hands:
  • 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.

• If you are wearing a mask: You can cough or sneeze into your mask. Put on a new, clean mask as soon as possible and wash your hands.

• If you are not wearing a mask:
  • 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 high touch surfaces regularly or as needed and after you have visitors in your home. This includes tables, doorknobs, light switches, countertops, handles, desks, phones, keyboards, toilets, faucets, and sinks.
• If someone is sick or has tested positive for COVID-19, disinfect frequently touched surfaces.

head side medical light icon

• Be alert for symptoms:
  • Watch for fever, cough, shortness of breath, or other symptoms of COVID-19.
  • 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 guidance if symptoms develop.
• Monitoring symptoms is especially important if you are running errands, going into the office or workplace, and in settings where it may be difficult to keep a physical distance of 6 feet.