SMITHFIELD – The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has expanded its list of possible symptoms of COVID-19. Symptoms could range from mild to severe. New symptoms are identified in bold below:
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Fever
- Chills
- Repeated shaking with chills
- Muscle pain
- Headache
- Sore throat
- New loss of taste or smell
People with these symptoms or a combination of them may have COVID-19. If you develop symptoms of COVID-19, you should contact your health care provider. Testing can be performed for COVID-19 only in consultation with your health care provider or local health department.
The Johnston County public health team encourages you to protect yourself from COVID-19 by following the following steps:
- Stay home, and only go out for necessities or exercise, and only have contact with the people you live with
- Stay home if you’re sick and don’t send sick children to childcare
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
- Don’t touch your eyes, nose and mouth
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick
- Put distance between yourself and other people
- Cover your mouth and nose with a cloth face cover when around others
- Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue, throw the tissue in the trash and wash your hands
- Clean and disinfect surfaces – especially ones that are touched frequently – using regular household cleaning spray or wipes
Visit the following sites to stay informed: www.johnstonnc.com/covid19 and www.ncdhhs.gov/coronavirus.
