The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends vaccination for all people age 12 year of age and older, including all people who are pregnant, breastfeeding, trying to get pregnant or might become pregnant in the future. Review of recent cases shows that pregnant and recently pregnant persons who become infected with COVID-19 who are unvaccinated are more likely to become much sicker than those who are not currently or have recently been pregnant. The COVID-19 vaccine can protect you from severe illness.

For more information on vaccinations and boosters, click here.

Disappointed about the new CDC guidance to vax and mask?  Well, don’t be!  The current vaccinations remain very effective at preventing serious illness and death from COVID-19, including the delta variant. The purpose of doing both—getting vaccinated and wearing a mask in public spaces—is to reduce transmission even if you’re vaccinated to protect vulnerable populations.

Remember that getting vaccinated can help to prevent the emergence of new, and potentially more dangerous, variants.

• Keep at least 6 feet from other people no matter where you are.
• Avoid contact with people who are sick.
• If possible, avoid public transportation, ride-sharing, or taxis or take measures to protect yourself when using these services.
• When venturing out, know the risk for certain behaviors.

• The CDC recommends all persons age 2 y.o. and older wear a mask or cloth face covering over their nose and mouth when they leave the house.
• Wear a cloth face covering like a bandana, scarf, or home-sewn cloth mask over your nose and mouth if you can’t find a mask.
• Cloth face coverings with two to three layers of cloth are most effective in preventing the spread of COVID-19.
• Use a cloth made from cotton or a cotton-blend.
• Discard your disposable mask, or launder your face covering, every day.
• Wear a mask or cloth face covering when you are in the same room as someone who is sick and they aren’t able to wear a mask.
• DO NOT use masks which have valves or vents (as they do not prevent the spread of virus).
• Even when you are wearing a mask, keep at least 6 feet from other people.

Small gatherings are informal in nature and typically occur at someones residence and do not involve long distance travel. Intimate gathering with close friends and family as well as family dinners are examples of small gatherings. Current CDC recommendations for small gatherings include:

• If you are fully vaccinated you can:
  • Gather in a home or private setting without a mask or staying 6 feet apart with other fully vaccinated people of any age.
  • Visit inside a home or private setting without a mask with one household of unvaccinated people who are not at risk for severe illness.
  • Gather or conduct activities outdoors without wearing a mask except in certain crowded settings and venues.
  • Travel in the United States without needing to be tested or self-quarantine before or after travel (if asymptomatic).
  • If you’ve been around someone who has COVID-19, you do not need to stay away from others or get tested unless you have symptoms or you live in certain group settings.
• If you are not fully vaccinated, the Safer at Home recommendations continue with avoidance of any group activities and using following Stop the Spread recommendations at all times.

Per the CDC, masks should not be worn by:

• Children younger than 2 years old
• Anyone who has trouble breathing
• Anyone who is unconscious, incapacitated, or otherwise unable to remove the mask without assistance

• 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.
• Lather your hands by rubbing them together. Get the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails.
• If soap and water aren’t available, use a hand sanitizer. Be sure to cover all surfaces of your hands and rub them together until they feel dry.
• Wash your hands before eating or preparing food.

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Be aware of what your hands touch. Disinfect after touching high-touch surfaces especially outside your home.

We know it’s harder than it seems, but try your best. Keeping your hands away from your face is a big way of not getting sick because the virus is transmitted through our eyes, nose, and mouth.

• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
• Use the inside of your elbow if you don’t have a tissue.
• Throw used tissues in a lined trash bin.
• Wash your hands immediately.
• Wear a mask or face covering to protect yourself and others.

• Surfaces like door handles, light switches, faucets, and keyboards can spread the virus because they are touched a lot.
• Clean surfaces with detergent or soap and water and then disinfect them.
• Disinfect any places that might have blood, stool, or body fluids.
• Most common EPA-registered household disinfectants will work.
• Make sure the disinfectant is right for the surface.

You can make bleach to use at home by mixing 5 tablespoons (⅓ cup) of bleach per gallon of water, or 4 teaspoons of bleach per quart of water.

• Don’t share dishes, drinking glasses, cups, eating utensils, towels, or bedding with other people or pets in your home.
• Wash these items carefully with soap and water after they’re used.

COVID-19 mainly spreads from person to person by people who have spent time close to each other. It can be spread by

• breathing in droplets made by someone who has COVID-19 when they cough, sneeze, or speak, or when those droplets land in mouths or noses, and
• touching your face with contaminated hands.

Someone who has COVID-19 without any signs of being sick also can spread the virus by talking and breathing close to others.

COVID-19 enters our body through the nose, mouth, or eyes. This is most likely to occur between people who are spending time together in close contact with one another (within 6 feet).

Respiratory droplets are produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or speaks. These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs.

COVID-19 is also spread by touching your face with contaminated hands. Hands can be contaminated by shaking hands with a person who has COVID-19 or touching something they recently touched.

Research now tells us that people can transmit the COVID-19 virus via aerosol (talking and breathing) without having any signs of illness.

Social distancing is our best hope to slow the spread of COVID-19, and to free up our healthcare system to care for those who need it the most.

Social distancing doesn’t mean social isolation but social solidarity for those who have a higher risk for serious medical conditions.

Some high-risk patients with COVID-19 will experience pneumonia in both lungs, multi-organ failure, and in some cases, death. Anyone with COVID-19 could be a loved one or thousands of people we don’t know. Through social distancing, we’re all committing to support each other by making sacrifices for the greater good.

People who have been close to someone who has COVID-19 are more likely to get COVID-19.

If we know who these people are, we can tell them how to protect themselves and others. This will help look after people who might have COVID-19 and help slow down COVID-19 spreading.

Contact tracing is normally done by interviewing people who have COVID-19. These interviews help find out where those people have been and who they may have been close to.

To help do contact tracing, public health and government officials are starting to use mobile apps. These apps can help by showing where people have been.

Using apps to help do contact tracing is complicated. They must

• keep information private,
• stop information being used without permission, and
• stop information from being wrongly used.

You can learn more about contact tracing from the CDC.

Yes. You can have COVID-19 and not know it. There is increasing evidence that the virus can be spread by people before symptoms appear or without any symptoms.

People can spread COVID-19 without knowing it because symptoms can take up to two weeks to appear.

Some virus spreaders may never feel sick throughout their entire illness.

Social distancing and face coverings are critical to stop the spread while protecting yourself and those around you.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommends 10 steps to reduce risk for COVID-19 transmission in the workplace:

1. Encourage workers to stay home if they are sick.
2. Encourage respiratory etiquette, including covering coughs and sneezes.
3. Provide a place to wash hands or alcohol-based hand rubs containing at least 60% alcohol.
4. Limit worksite access to only essential workers, if possible.
5. Establish flexible worksites (e.g., telecommuting) and flexible work hours (e.g., staggered shifts), if feasible.
6. Discourage workers from using other workers’ phones, desks, or other work tools and equipment.
7. Regularly clean and disinfect surfaces, equipment, and other elements of the work environment.
8. Use Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-approved cleaning chemicals with label claims against the coronavirus.
9. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for use of all cleaning and disinfecting products.
10. Encourage workers to report any safety and health concerns.

If you are symptomatic or have recently been exposed to someone with COVID-19, the following work-related behaviors have been ranked in relation to one another by Crossover’s team of medical experts. Read through and refer back often as you make important decisions about returning to work safely.

• As much as you can, stay in one specific room away from other people in your home.
• Use a separate bathroom, if you can.
• Cut down your contact with pets and animals as much as you can, like you would around other people.
• Wear a mask or face covering when you are around other people or pets, and when you go out in public.
• If you have a medical appointment, contact your provider and tell them that you have or may have COVID-19.

Stay at home until your symptoms go away. This means

• at least 1 day (24 hours) since recovery (your fever has gone away and you are not using fever-reducing medicine like acetaminophen (like Tylenol) and ibuprofen (like Advil), and improvement in respiratory symptoms (like a cough or shortness of breath), and
• at least 10 days since symptoms of COVID-19 first appeared.

If you have a positive test result for COVID-19, stay at home until you have advice from your provider.