Months into the outbreak of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, a variety of symptoms have been reported.

They include:

• Fever or chills
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Fatigue
• Muscle or body aches
• Headache
• New loss of taste or smell
• Sore throat
• Congestion or runny nose
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea

If you are having these symptoms and you think you might have COVID-19, stay at home and isolate yourself from others except to get medical care. Get rest and stay hydrated and take over-the-counter medicines to help you feel better.

To learn more about testing through UCHealth, please click here. To find community testing sites throughout Colorado, please click here. To schedule a Virtual Urgent Care, please click here. To schedule a Video Virtual, please click here.

You should seek medical attention if you or someone is showing any of these signs:

• Trouble breathing
• Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
• New confusion
• Inability to wake or stay awake
• Bluish lips or face

You may call 911 or call ahead to a hospital to notify the facility that you are seeking care for someone who has or may have COVID-19.

Dr. David Steinbruner, chief medical officer at UCHealth Memorial Hospital Central, says that 80% of people who are infected with the coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, will experience a mild to moderate form of the illness.

With the number of people testing positive for COVID-19 and hospitalizations on the rise across the nation, Steinbruner said,  “You probably want to really think now, before you get sick, about making sure you have medications and what you may need and have that available.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, if you have symptoms of COVID-19 or are confirmed positive:

• As much as possible, stay in a specific room and away from other people and pets in your home. If possible, you should use a separate bathroom. If you need to be around other people or animals in or outside of the home, wear a mask.
• Tell your close contacts they may have been exposed to COVID-19. An infected person can spread COVID-19 starting 48 hours (or 2 days) before the person has any symptoms or tests positive. By letting your close contacts know they have been exposed, you are helping to protect everyone.

Steinbruner said people who are not severely ill can do good for the community if they stay home and avoid sharing the illness with even one additional person.

“There’s no proven treatment for this other than treating the symptoms, but the medical community is currently working on treatments for the most severely affected,” he said.

Avoiding visiting your doctor’s office in person or going into an ER if you are not extremely ill will help medical providers preserve the resources they need to focus on critically ill patients and those who have pre-existing conditions that make the virus even worse, Steinbruner said.

Steinbruner recommends that if you have a cough, sore throat, headache and fever, you should stay home and treat the illness as you would a flu-like illness. Make sure that you have medications available that you would normally use to treat yourself at home. To prevent the spread:

• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
• Dispose of used tissues in a lined trash can.
• Wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds or with a hand sanitizer that contains at least 70% alcohol.
• Wear a mask.

If you are not sure about whether you should visit your doctor, one of the best ways to find out without leaving your home is to schedule a phone call or Virtual Urgent Care visit with a provider.

“This is really an opportunity, that for the first time in America, we are seeing people embrace using their phones and tablets to see a doctor,’’ Steinbruner said. “In the case of limiting the spread of this novel coronavirus, this helps in two ways:  It helps preserve resources with hospitals and prevents the spread of infection into the hospitals and clinics. And it enables people to get real-time feedback from a provider in the comfort of their own home so that they can take ownership of their health.’’

Steinbruner also recommends that people who are sick go to the CDC website and follow all of the steps to care for yourself at home.

As the number of coronavirus cases rise and flu season collides, it is important to get a flu vaccination. It’s also important for adults and kids to stay up-to-date on all their vaccines including MMR, Tdap and Hepatitis A. To schedule a visit with a primary care doctor, please click here.

Here is some additional guidance from the CDC:

Stay home: People who are mildly ill with COVID-19 are able to isolate at home during their illness. You should restrict activities outside of your home, except for getting medical care. Learn more here about when, and for how long, to isolate or quarantine based on your scenario.

Cover your mouth and nose if you are sick: If you have a facemask, you should wear it or otherwise cover your mouth and nose if you must share a room or vehicle with other people or when you enter a health care provider’s office.

Avoid public areas: Do not go to work, school or public areas.

Avoid public transportation: If possible, do not use public transportation, ride-sharing services or taxis to avoid spreading the virus to anyone else.

Separate yourself from other people and animals in your home: Stay away from others. As much as possible, you should stay in a specific room and away from other people in your home. Also, you should use a separate bathroom, if available.

Limit contact with pets and animals: You should restrict contact with pets and other animals while you are sick with COVID-19, just like you would around other people. Although there have not been reports of pets or other animals becoming sick with COVID-19, it is still recommended that people sick with COVID-19 limit contact with animals until more information is known.

Call ahead before visiting your doctor: If you have a medical appointment, call ahead to your provider’s office and tell them that you may have COVID-19. This will help your provider’s office take steps to keep other people from getting infected or exposed.