If you have a fever or cough, you might have COVID-19. Most people have mild illness and are able to recover at home. Keep track of your symptoms. If you have an emergency warning sign (including trouble breathing), get medical attention right away.
Steps to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 if you are sick

- Stay home: Most people with COVID-19 have mild illness and are able to recover at home without medical care. Do not leave your home, except to get medical care. Do not visit public areas.
- Stay in touch with your doctor. Call before you get medical care. Be sure to get care if you have trouble breathing, or have any other emergency warning signs, or if you think it is an emergency.
- Avoid public transportation: Avoid using public transportation, ride-sharing, or taxis.

- Stay away from others: As much as possible, stay away from others. You should stay in a specific “sick room” if possible, and away from other people and pets in your home. Use a separate bathroom, if available.
- See COVID-19 and Animals is you have questions about pets.

- Call ahead: Many medical visits for routine care are being postponed or done by phone or telemedicine.
- If you have a medical appointment that cannot be postponed, call your doctor’s office, and tell them you have or may have COVID-19. This will help the office protect themselves and other patients.

- You should wear a cloth face covering, over your nose and mouth if you must be around other people even at home).
Note: During the COVID-19 pandemic, medical grade facemasks are reserved for healthcare workers and some first responders. You may need to improvise a cloth face covering using a scarf or bandana.

- Cover: Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
- Dispose: Throw used tissues in a lined trash can.
- Wash hands: Immediately wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.

- Wash hands: Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. This is especially important after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing; going to the bathroom; and before eating or preparing food.
- Hand sanitizer: If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol, covering all surfaces of your hands and rubbing them together until they feel dry.
- Soap and water: Soap and water are the best option, especially if hands are visibly dirty.
- Avoid touching: Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.

- Do not share: Do not share dishes, drinking glasses, cups, eating utensils, towels, or bedding with other people in your home.
- Wash thoroughly after use: After using these items, wash them thoroughly with soap and water or put in the dishwasher.

Clean high-touch surfaces in your isolation area (“sick room” and bathroom) every day; let a caregiver clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces in other areas of the home.
- Clean and disinfect: Routinely clean high-touch surfaces in your “sick room” and bathroom. Let someone else clean and disinfect surfaces in common areas, but not your bedroom and bathroom.
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- If a caregiver or other person needs to clean and disinfect a sick person’s bedroom or bathroom, they should do so on an as-needed basis. The caregiver/other person should wear a mask and wait as long as possible after the sick person has used the bathroom.
High-touch surfaces include phones, remote controls, counters, tabletops, doorknobs, bathroom fixtures, toilets, keyboards, tablets, and bedside tables.
- Clean and disinfect areas that may have blood, stool, or body fluids on them.
- Household cleaners and disinfectants: Clean the area or item with soap and water or another detergent if it is dirty. Then, use a household disinfectant.
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- Be sure to follow the instructions on the label to ensure safe and effective use of the product. Many products recommend keeping the surface wet for several minutes to ensure germs are killed. Many also recommend precautions such as wearing gloves and making sure you have good ventilation during use of the product.
- Most EPA-registered household disinfectants should be effective. A full list of disinfectants can be found hereexternal icon.

- Common symptoms of COVID-19 include fever and cough. Trouble breathing is a more serious symptom that means you should get medical attention.
- If you are having trouble breathing, seek medical attention, but call first.
- Call your doctor or emergency room before going in and tell them your symptoms. They will tell you what to do.
- Wear a cloth face covering (covers your nose and mouth): Put on the cloth face covering when you leave your house or when around other people. You don’t need to wear the cloth face covering if you are alone. If you can’t put on a cloth face covering (because of trouble breathing for example), cover your coughs and sneezes in some other way. Try to stay at least 6 feet away from other people. This will help protect the people around you.
- Follow care instructions from your healthcare provider and local health department: Your local health authorities may give instructions on checking your symptoms and reporting information.
When you can be around others (end home isolation) depends on different factors for different situations.
Find CDC’s recommendations for your situation below.
You can be with others after
- If you will not have a test to determine if you are still contagious, you can leave home after these three things have happened:
- At least 10 days since symptoms first appeared and
- At least 24 hours with no fever without fever-reducing medication and
- Symptoms have improved
Depending on your healthcare provider’s advice and availability of testing, you might get tested to see if you still have COVID-19. If you are tested, you can be around others when you have no fever, respiratory symptoms have improved, and you receive two negative test results in a row, at least 24 hours apart.
I tested positive for COVID-19 but had no symptomsIf you continue to have no symptoms, you can be with others after:
- 10 days have passed since test
Depending on your healthcare provider’s advice and availability of testing, you might get tested to see if you still have COVID-19. If you will be tested, you can be around others after you receive two negative test results in a row, at least 24 hours apart.
If you develop symptoms after testing positive, follow the guidance above for “I think or know I had COVID, and I had symptoms.”
I have a weakened immune system (immunocompromised) due to a health condition or medication. When can I be around others?People with conditions that weaken their immune system might need to stay home longer than 10 days. Talk to your healthcare provider for more information. If testing is available in your community, it may be recommended by your healthcare provider. You can be with others after you receive two negative test results in a row, at least 24 hours apart.
If testing is not available in your area, your doctor should work with an infectious disease expert at your local health department to determine if you are likely to spread COVID-19 to others and need to stay home longer.
For Anyone Who Has Been Around a Person with COVID-19It is important to remember that anyone who has close contact with someone with COVID-19 should stay home for 14 days after exposure based on the time it takes to develop illness.
Caring for Yourself at Home
10 things you can do to manage your health at home
If you have possible or confirmed COVID-19:
- Stay home from work, school, and away from other public places. If you must go out, avoid using any kind of public transportation, ridesharing, or taxis.
- Monitor your symptoms carefully. If your symptoms get worse, call your healthcare provider immediately.
- Get rest and stay hydrated.
- If you have a medical appointment, call the healthcare provider ahead of time and tell them that you have or may have COVID-19.
- For medical emergencies, call 911 and notify the dispatch personnel that you have or may have COVID-19.
- Cover your cough and sneezes.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.
- As much as possible, stay in a specific room and away from other people in your home. Also, you should use a separate bathroom, if available. If you need to be around other people in or outside of the home, wear a facemask.
- Avoid sharing personal items with other people in your household, like dishes, towels, and bedding
- Clean all surfaces that are touched often, like counters, tabletops, and doorknobs. Use household cleaning sprays or wipes according to the label instructions.
- Resources
- Helpful Links
- Training Courses
- Videos
- If You Are Sick
Many County facilities are now closed to in-person transactions. Citizens seeking assistance and services are encouraged to use these virtual and phone options to get help:
Find a Doctor
- Dayton Children’s
https://www.childrensdayton.org/doctors - Kettering Health Network
https://www.ketteringhealth.org/findaphysician/ - Premier Health
https://www.premierhealth.com/find-a-doctor - Web MD
https://doctor.webmd.com/ - LGBTQ Culturally Competent Providers
- Dayton Children’s
Unemployment
- Unemployment Benefits:
unemployment.ohio.gov or 1-877-644-6562 (TTY service: 1-614-387-8408) - Job Seekers: (937) 225-JOBS (5627)
- Unemployment Benefits:
Medicaid, Food Assistance, Temporary Cash Assistance
- Ohio Benefits
www.ssp.benefits.ohio.gov or 937-225-4148. - Medicaid only: 1-844-640-6446.
- Ohio Benefits
Utilities
- Water and Sewer Bills/Customer Service:
www.mcohio.org/water or 937 781-2688 - Solid Waste and Recycling Services: Due to the stay-at-home order issued by Governor Mike DeWine, we ask that citizens only visit the Montgomery County Transfer & Recycling Facility if their trip is absolutely essential to protect our employees. Please use your best judgment to assist us in minimizing the traffic at our facility during the COVID-19 pandemic. Please note, tours of the Environmental Learning Center are also temporarily suspended until further notice. Visit www.mcswd.org for more details.
- Water and Sewer Bills/Customer Service:
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Child Services
- Report Child Abuse or Neglect:
937-224-KIDS (5437) - Child Support
jfs.ohio.gov or 937-225-4600 (10 AM - 4 PM, M-F). Child Support payments can be made at oh.smartchildsupport.com.
- Report Child Abuse or Neglect:
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Vital Statistics
- Birth/Death Records:
www.vitalchek.com or 937-496-3117 - Electronic Death Certification
Ohio physicians have the ability to electronically complete and sign/certify the cause of death for Ohio records in our Electronic Death Registration System (EDRS). The funeral home electronically creates a death record, enters the personal demographic information, and selects a physician for the medical portion. At that point the physician may log in to EDRS from any location and electronically enter the same information previously handwritten on the paper certificate and then electronically sign/certify the record. Physicians can also provide a notification email address to receive alerts that they have a death record awaiting their signature.
pdf Electronic Death Certification Information (582 KB)
pdf E-Physician User Support Document (230 KB)
pdf E-Physician Clerk User Support Document (211 KB)
- Birth/Death Records:
Mental Health
- Miami Valley Warmline
937-528-7777 Providing Comfort to the Community
OPEN MONDAY – FRIDAY 11 AM – 7 PM
Miami Valley Warmline
- Miami Valley Warmline
- Dayton Chamber https://daytonchamber.org/coronavirus-resource-guide-for-businesses/
- Free App to Support People in Recovery During COVID-19 Outbreak - Connections App
- Disinfectants to use Against COVID-19
- Latest Travel Warnings
- Coronavirus Q & A from the World Health Organization: https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/q-a-coronaviruses
- For more information about the current outbreak in China, visit: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/novel-coronavirus-2019.html
- The Ohio Department of Health: https://odh.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/odh/media-center/feature-stories/2019-Novel-Coronavirus
- For more information about Coronaviruses https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/index.html
- For travel health information: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/watch/pneumonia-china
- Disability and Health Emergency Preparedness Tools and Resources
- Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) for Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Online course
- Psychological first aid: Guide for field workers
- Emerging respiratory viruses, including COVID-19: methods for detection, prevention, response and control
- WHO Critical Care Severe Acute Respiratory Infection Training