With the announcement that Gov. Spencer Cox has tested positive for COVID-19, this is a good reminder that the disease is still circulating in our communities. Most people who are infected with COVID-19 have mild symptoms, especially if they are up-to-date with their COVID-19 vaccinations. The vaccines have been shown to be safe and effective, and provide protection against serious disease.
Though almost 70% Utahns have received at least one dose of a vaccine, too many people have not finished their vaccine series and only 28% of Utahns have received a booster, meaning they do not have the best protection from COVID-19.
If you feel sick
Stay home until you feel better. Get tested for COVID-19. You can use an at-home test or find testing locations at https://coronavirus.utah.gov/utah-covid-19-testing-locations/.
If you were exposed to COVID-19
Visit our Protect Yourself page. Monitor for symptoms. Be cautious and wear a mask around others. Consider getting tested 5 days after you were exposed to COVID-19. If you’re not up-to-date on your COVID-19 vaccinations, including having a booster dose if eligible for one, you should quarantine at home.
Vaccine and booster dose recommendations
If you’ve waited to get your booster dose, now is the time. Studies show that getting the recommended vaccines, even if you’ve had a COVID-19 infection before, offers the greatest protection against serious illness, hospitalization, and death. Vaccines are a safer and more consistent way to build immunity than getting infected.
People ages 5 and older are recommended to get the COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccines are safe and effective, and provide the greatest protection against serious illness.
- If you are 5 to 17 years old, you can only get the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine right now. If you are 12 to 17 years old, you can only get the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for your booster dose right now.
- If you are immunocompromised, you should get 3 primary doses, and, depending on your age, 2 booster doses. Learn more at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/recommendations/immuno.html.
- If you are 50 or older, you can get a 2nd booster dose. Learn more at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/booster-shot.html.
The CDC allows mixing-and-matching of COVID-19 vaccines to help provide greater flexibility and increased protection for people getting booster shots. Most people can get a different type of booster vaccine than the type of vaccine they originally received.
If you are at higher risk of being hospitalized for COVID-19, get tested for COVID-19 right away if you have symptoms. Older people and people of all ages with severe, long lasting (chronic) medical conditions like heart disease, lung disease, and diabetes, are at higher risk of being hospitalized for COVID-19.There are medicines to help prevent serious illness but they must be given within 5-10 days from when your symptoms start to work.
Talk to your doctor, a pharmacist, or healthcare provider if you test positive for COVID-19 about which medicine will work best for you. You can also visit a Test to Treat pharmacy to get tested for COVID-19 and a prescription for an antiviral pill. There are many other infusion sites, clinics, hospitals, and pharmacies across the state which also have these medicines.
Learn more at https://coronavirus.utah.gov/treatments/.