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Find information on testing, available treatment options, and which risk factors increase the chance of progressing to severe COVID-19.
If you test positive, see which conditions put you at high risk for progressing to severe COVID-19.
People with COVID-19 can have a range of symptoms from mild to severe.
Understand the types of COVID-19 tests and what results can mean.
Learn about different treatments that are available.
Being "high risk" means you have a higher chance of developing severe COVID-19 illness. This can lead to being hospitalized, needing intensive care, requiring a ventilator to help you breathe, or even death.
That’s why it’s so important to understand your level of risk now. Even just one of the conditions below significantly increases your chances of severe illness. The more risk factors you have, the higher your risk is.
Who you are
How you live
People of all ages, including children and teens, can get very sick from COVID-19. Like adults, young people with certain medical conditions are at higher risk than those without.
Conditions that put children and teens at risk include, but aren’t limited to:
Genetic, neurologic, or metabolic conditions
Congenital heart disease
Obesity
Diabetes
Asthma or chronic lung disease
Sickle cell disease
Being immunocompromised
Being vaccinated against COVID-19 can help reduce your child’s risk of getting very sick with COVID-19. For some children, treatment may be available if they are infected with COVID-19 and at risk for severe disease.
If you test positive and are at high risk, ask your doctor about COVID-19 treatments.
COVID-19 has a wide range of possible symptoms that can be mild to severe, and your symptoms may be different than someone else’s. It’s important to remember that mild COVID-19 can become severe, especially if you have a high-risk factor.
If you feel unwell, it is important to test yourself immediately for COVID-19.
Have symptoms? Take a test immediately
If you’re experiencing any of the symptoms listed above, get tested for COVID-19.
If you test positive, follow the CDC’s isolation guidance. If you have one or more
high-risk factors for severe COVID-19, you should talk to your healthcare professional about treatment options right away.
Testing for COVID-19 is important to get a diagnosis and plan for what’s next. But to get accurate results, it’s also important to make sure you test at the right time and follow the test directions as recommended by the FDA.
If you test positive…
...you most likely are infected with COVID-19, whether or not you have symptoms
Pfizer is not responsible for the content or services of the website linked above.
Follow the CDC’s guidance for isolation, monitor your symptoms, and seek emergency medical care if necessary. If you have a high-risk factor for progression to severe COVID-19, reach out to your healthcare professional to discuss treatment options as soon as possible.
Pfizer is not responsible for the content or services of the website linked above.
If you test negative…
…keep testing. Repeat testing increases the chances of getting an accurate test result, whether you have symptoms or not. With inaccurate results, you may unknowingly spread COVID-19 to others
…and you have symptoms—you may have COVID-19
…and you don’t have symptoms but know you were exposed to COVID-19—take precautions
…and you don’t have symptoms or any known exposure to COVID-19—you don’t need to take special precautions
COVID-19 tests can detect active COVID-19 virus in your body by testing specimens from your nose or mouth. The two most common types are antigen and PCR tests.
Antigen tests can provide results in 15-30 minutes. Self-tests, or at-home tests, are primarily antigen tests. You can take them anywhere without having to go to a testing site, but they are less reliable than PCR-based tests, especially for people without symptoms
PCR tests are typically the most reliable tests whether you have symptoms or not. They’re usually done in a laboratory, doctor’s office, urgent care, or pharmacy
Sometimes a follow-up PCR test is recommended to confirm an antigen test result. Talk to your doctor if you’re concerned about your COVID-19 status after testing or think you may need a follow-up test.
Testing is the only way to know if you have COVID-19. If you test positive and have high-risk factors, talk to your doctor about treatment options.
If you’re at high risk for severe COVID-19 and get a positive test, authorized treatment options are available. They can treat mild to moderate COVID-19, helping to reduce your chances of ending up in the hospital or dying.
It’s important to contact a doctor right after you test positive or when you first experience symptoms, even if your symptoms are mild. Treatment needs to be started as soon as possible after you develop symptoms to be effective. Be prepared to discuss:
Whether you have risk factors for severe COVID-19
Your vaccination status and history
Any medications you are currently taking
What kinds of treatments are available
There are FDA-authorized prescription treatments for COVID-19.
These prescription drugs target the virus to stop it from multiplying.
Some treatments may have side effects or can interact with other medications you’re on. If you’re hospitalized with COVID-19, your doctor will determine if other kinds of treatments may be used, depending on how sick you are. These treatments could treat the COVID-19 virus, complications from the virus, or reduce an overactive immune response.
Your doctor will determine whether one of these authorized treatment options is right for you. If you don’t have a doctor, you can visit a Test to Treat location, talk to a pharmacist, schedule a telehealth visit, or contact your local health department.
Positive for COVID-19 and not sure if you’re at high risk for severe illness?
Learn about risk factors
If you do not have a healthcare professional or your healthcare professional is not available, you may be able to connect with one through telehealth services. You can visit one of the following sites to connect with a healthcare professional by phone, chat, or video. Pfizer does not own or operate any of these telehealth platforms or the services they or their providers may furnish, and Pfizer accepts no responsibility or liability for them.
Notice: The below links are provided as a resource to our visitors and do not imply an endorsement or recommendation of a particular telehealth professional by Pfizer nor an endorsement of any Pfizer product by a company, provider, or platform.
Providers for these telehealth platforms were selected based on their ability to provide COVID-19–related services in a traditional healthcare, physician office, or clinic setting. Providers or telehealth companies do not pay a fee to Pfizer for inclusion on this website. If these telehealth platforms match users with providers, the selection of a particular provider is determined by the criteria set by the platform and/or provider, not Pfizer. All treatment decisions are at the sole discretion of the provider based on the patient's individual needs and risk-benefit profile.
You can also visit one of the thousands of Test to Treat locations nationwide to get tested and receive treatment (if appropriate) all at the same location.
This link will take you to a website that is owned and operated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Pfizer is not responsible for the content or services of this site.
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This site is intended only for U.S. residents. The information provided is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace discussions with a healthcare professional.