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Home isolation guidelines
If you tested positive for COVID-19, please use these guidelines to understand how long you should separate yourself from others. Please note that these guidelines are based on your symptoms and if you have any health conditions* that severely affect your immune system.
If you have any questions about these, we recommend that you work closely with your doctor to determine when you can discontinue home isolation.
No symptoms (asymptomatic) and no underlying health conditions that severely affect your immune system:
- Remain in home isolation until 10 days have passed since the date of your first positive COVID-19 test, as long as you have not started to have any symptoms since that test.
Mild to moderate illness AND no underlying health conditions that severely affect your immune system:
- Remain in home isolation until 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared AND
- At least 24 hours have passed since your last fever without the use of fever-reducing medications AND
- Symptoms (e.g., cough, shortness of breath) have improved
Severe to critical illness AND/OR you have a severely weakened immune system*, you may discontinue home isolation when:
- At least 20 days have passed since symptoms first appeared AND
- At least 24 hours have passed since your last fever without the use of fever-reducing medications AND
- Symptoms (e.g., cough, shortness of breath) have improve
*You may be considered to have a severely weakened immune system (immunocompromised) if you:
- Are receiving chemotherapy treatment for cancer
- Have untreated HIV infection with a CD4 lymphocyte count of less than 200
- Have combined primary immunodeficiency disorder
- Are taking 20mg/day or higher of prednisone for more than 14 days
Please note that your doctor will determine how compromised your immune system is, and preventive actions should be tailored to your individual situation.
Symptom and illness definitions
- Mild Illness: Some symptoms of COVID-19 (e.g., fever, cough, sore throat, malaise, headache, muscle pain) without shortness of breath or abnormal chest imaging.
- Moderate Illness: Evidence of lower respiratory disease by clinical assessment or imaging, and you have oxygen saturation of 94% or higher on room air at sea level.
- Severe Illness: Respiratory frequency of more than 30 breaths per minute and oxygen saturation of less than 94% on room air at sea level (or, for patients with chronic hypoxemia (low blood oxygen), a decrease from baseline of more than 3%), ratio of arterial partial pressure of oxygen to fraction of inspired oxygen (PaO2/FiO2) is less than 300 mmHg, or lung infiltrates greater than 50%.
- Critical Illness: Individuals who have respiratory failure, septic shock and/or multiple organ dysfunction.
Preventing COVID-19 at home
If you live with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, follow these tips from the CDC: