КОВИД-19: Понимание основ
Понятия и термины, связанные с COVID-19
Ложноположительный результат
Ложноположительный результат — это тестовый результат, который ошибочно указывает на инфицирование вас, когда на самом деле вы не заражены.
Привитие стада
Привитие стада происходит, когда достаточное количество людей становятся иммунными к болезни, что делает ее распространение маловероятным. В результате защищается вся община, даже те, кто сам не иммунен. Привитие стада обычно достигается через вакцинацию, но также может произойти через естественную инфекцию.
Иммунитет
Иммунитет — это частичная или полная защита от конкретной инфекции, потому что человек либо ранее переносил эту инфекцию, либо был привит против нее.
Инкубационный период
Инкубационный период — это период времени между воздействием инфекции и появлением симптомов.
Изоляция
Изоляция — это разделение людей с заразным заболеванием от здоровых людей.
Долгосрочные носители
Долгосрочные носители — это люди, которые не полностью восстановились от COVID-19 недели или даже месяцы после первого появления симптомов.
Мутация
Мутация — это изменение генетического материала вируса, которое происходит при его репликации. Изменение передается будущим поколениям вируса.
Моноклональные антитела
Моноклональные антитела — это лабораторно произведенные белки, созданные для имитации естественно возникающих антител, направленных против специфического антигена вирусов, бактерий и опухолевых клеток.
mRNA
mRNA — это сокращение от мессенджер-рибонуклеиновой кислоты, которая содержит инструкции для синтеза белков.
Вакцины на основе mRNA
Вакцины на основе mRNA для COVID-19 содержат синтетическую mRNA. В организме mRNA входит в человеческие клетки и указывает им производить шиповидный белок, находящийся на поверхности вируса COVID-19. Организм распознает шиповидный белок как захватчика и вырабатывает против него антитела. Если антитела впоследствии столкнутся с реальным вирусом, они готовы распознать и уничтожить его до того, как он вызовет болезнь.
Пандемия
Пандемия — это вспышка болезни, затрагивающая большие популяции или целый регион, страну или континент.
Физическое дистанцирование
Физическое дистанцирование, также называемое социальным дистанцированием, — это меры, принимаемые для остановки или замедления распространения заразного заболевания. Для отдельного лица это означает поддержание достаточного физического расстояния (не менее шести футов) между собой и другим человеком для уменьшения риска вдыхания капель или аэрозолей, выделяемых инфицированным человеком при дыхании, разговоре, кашле или чихании.
Тест полимеразной цепной реакции (ПЦР)
Тест ПЦР — это диагностический тест, который обнаруживает наличие генетического материала вируса.
Синдром после вируса
Синдром после вируса — это совокупность симптомов, переносимых долгосрочными носителями COVID-19. Эти симптомы могут включать усталость, мозговую дымку, одышку, озноб, боль в теле, головную боль, боли в суставах, боль в груди, кашель и продолжительную потерю вкуса или обоняния.
SARS-CoV-2
SARS-CoV-2 — это сокращение от вируса тяжелого острого респираторного синдрома коронавируса 2, официальное название вируса, ответственного за COVID-19.
Шиповидный белок
Шиповидный белок — это белок на поверхности вируса SARS-CoV-2, который связывается с клетками человека и позволяет вирусу проникнуть в них.
Вариант
Вариант — это вирус, содержащий одну или несколько мутаций, которые делают его отличным от версии вируса, циркулирующей ранее.
Варианты тревоги: вирусы SARS-CoV-2 с мутациями, которые делают их более вероятно распространяемыми, способными избегать вакцин или делать людей больными.
Вектор: безвредная капсула. В вакцине вектор может использоваться для доставки вещества в организм для вызова иммунного ответа.
Вирус: вирус — это самые маленькие из заразных микробов, меньше бактерий или грибов. Вирус состоит из небольшого куска генетического материала (ДНК или РНК), окруженного белковой оболочкой. Вирусы не могут выжить без живой клетки, в которой они могут размножаться. Как только вирус входит в живую клетку (хозяйскую клетку) и захватывает внутренние процессы клетки, клетка не может выполнять свои нормальные жизненно важные задачи. Хозяйская клетка становится заводом по производству вирусов, производя вирусные части, которые затем собираются в целые вирусы и заражают другие клетки. В конце концов хозяйская клетка умирает.
Поздний 2019 год
До настоящего времени существует семь различных типов человеческих коронавирусов, четыре из которых вызывают легкие или умеренные респираторные заболевания, такие как обычные простуды. Остальные три вызывают более тяжелые и иногда смертельные заболевания. Это:
ECDC постоянно оценивает новые доказательства о возникновении и циркуляции VOC в ЕС и сообщает о своих выводах о эволюции SARS-COV-2.
Человек может заразиться через вдыхание респираторных капель от инфицированного человека (включая аэрозоли, порожденные чиханием, кашлем, разговором, пением или дыханием) или через прямой контакт с инфицированными каплями через глаза, рот или нос.
Передающая способность, инкубационный период и заразность меняются в зависимости от вариантов вируса и индивидуального иммунитета.
Новое исследование предоставляет первые эмпирические данные о передаче SARS-CoV-2 через руки людей и часто касаемыеся поверхности в домашней обстановке.
Исследование во главе с Лондонским колледжем императора разъясняет ситуацию с распространением COVID-19 в домашних условиях, где происходит большая часть передачи SARS-CoV-2, и это первое исследование, которое связывает присутствие вируса на руках людей и касаемыхся домашних поверхностях с риском заражения контактов. Данные поддерживают использование мер в домашней обстановке при наличии инфекции, частое мытье рук, регулярная дезинфекция поверхностей, а также использование масок для уменьшения распространения COVID-19.
Профессор Аджит Лалвани, ведущий автор исследования и директор Института NIHR HPRU по респираторным инфекциям, сказал: “Несомненно, что если у вас COVID-19, вы испускаете вирус в воздух в виде микроаэрозолей, а также крупных капель, которые попадают на ваши руки и поверхности вокруг вас. Что не было показано, пока не было показано, что присутствие вируса на руках людей или домашних поверхностях предсказывает передачу контактам.
Распространение COVID-19: роль поверхностей и рук
Наше исследование в реальной жизни в домашних хозяйствах Лондона предоставляет первые эмпирические данные, показывающие, что присутствие SARS-CoV-2 на руках людей и поверхностях значительно способствует распространению COVID-19. Поскольку мы не систематически отбирали образцы воздуха в домах, мы не можем исключить воздушную передачу, происходящую параллельно.
Исследование в домашних хозяйствах
В домах, в которых мы обнаружили вирус на поверхностях и руках участников, заражение среди контактов и, следовательно, передача, была значительно выше. – Школа общественного здравоохранения
Первое исследование своего рода – проведено исследователями из Имперского колледжа Лондона, UKHSA и Университета Оксфорда – перспективно набрало 414 подверженных домашних контактов, проживающих в одних и тех же домашних хозяйствах с 279 недавно диагностированными первичными случаями между 1 августа 2020 года и 31 марта 2021 года. Поскольку исследование проводилось рано на этапе пандемии, очень немногие были вакцинированы или ранее заразились, и, таким образом, большинство были не иммунны и подвержены инфекции. Это позволило исследователям тщательно оценить факторы риска и векторы передачи в уникальных условиях, подобных естественному эксперименту. Возрастной диапазон составлял 6-79 лет, и 52% были женщины.
Риск инфицирования
Все контакты регулярно тестируются на инфекцию SARS-CoV-2 методом ПЦР на отростках носа и горла (верхний дыхательный тракт (URT)).
Исследователи также взяли мазки с рук у первичных случаев и контактов, а также с самых часто касаемых поверхностей в общественных зонах (например, ручек холодильника и чайника, кранов на кухне и т. д.), чтобы измерить генетический материал SARS-CoV-2 (РНК) и количество вирусных частиц. Исследователи искали корреляции между микробиологическим обнаружением вируса на руках и поверхностях и передачей контактам в домашнем хозяйстве.
Nieves Derqui, первый автор исследования из Имперского колледжа Лондона НИХР HPRU по респираторным инфекциям, сказал: В домах, в которых мы обнаружили вирус на поверхностях и руках участников, заражение среди контактов и, следовательно, передача была значительно выше.
Повышенный риск инфицирования
Учитывая другие потенциально влиятельные факторы, такие как пол, статус вакцинации, существующие заболевания и отношения контактов к первичному случаю, исследователи обнаружили, что если вирус обнаруживался на руках первичных случаев, то контакты в их домашнем хозяйстве имели на 1,7 раз больше вероятность заразиться, чем те, у кого первичные случаи не имели вируса на своих руках.
Эта информационная графика показывает пути домашней передачи SARS-CoV-2 с учетом скорректированных относительных рисков, учитывающих значимые демографические и характеристики домашних условий.
Аналогично, присутствие вируса на руках первичных случаев было связано с тремя раза большим риском контактов в домашнем хозяйстве иметь положительный мазок с рук, и в свою очередь контакты с вирусом на руках имели в два раза больше вероятность заразиться COVID-19.
If virus was present on frequently touched surfaces in the household, contacts were 3.8 times more likely to have detectable virus on their hands and 1.7 times more likely to be infected, i.e. to have a PCR-positive URT-swab.
"Our data strongly suggest that as well as frequent handwashing, decontamination of frequently touched surfaces could prevent transmission." Professor Ajit Lalvani National Heart & Lung Institute
Among the contacts who were initially uninfected but became infected with COVID-19 during the study, six had positive hand or household surface swabs prior to becoming infected. This supports the directionality of transmission being from household surfaces and contacts’ hands to their nose and throat.
Whole genome sequencing of the 25 primary cases and their respective contacts where this was possible confirmed that each primary case-contact pair was infected with the same SARS-CoV-2 strain, confirming household transmission between primary cases and their respective contacts.
Professor Lalvani said: “My team’s Herculean logistical undertaking during the challenging circumstances at the height of the pandemic in real-life households strongly supports the theory that SARS-CoV-2 transmission from contaminated surfaces and hands does occur in households. With successive new variants likely to spread widely despite booster vaccinations, the simple, easily applicable public health interventions and messaging underpinned by our evidence are a valuable, risk-free and timely addition to the toolkit for living safely with COVID-19.
"Our new understanding of the pathways of household transmission now enables us to prioritise simple measures to interrupt spread of the virus. Our data strongly suggest that as well as frequent handwashing, decontamination of frequently touched surfaces could prevent transmission.”
Despite the important findings, the researchers note that this is an observational study and as such cannot prove causation. Moreover, since household air was not systematically sampled, airborne transmission cannot be ruled out.
They also acknowledge that non-white ethnicities and older age groups were under-represented in the study and their results were limited to the pre-alpha and alpha variants, so the results may not apply to other groups or more recent and infectious variants.
The study was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research – Health Protection Research Unit in Respiratory Infections
Main image credit: Shutterstock.
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19)
By understanding how coronavirus spreads, you can take the right steps so you don’t get sick and infect others.
COVID transmission rate
Recent data from the World Health Organization (WHO) shows that since January of 2020, there have been over 103 million confirmed cases of COVID.
COVID transmission period
People seem to be most infectious about 2 days before they have symptoms and early on. If you have severe symptoms, the illness can be contagious for longer.
People infected with the virus can be contagious and can spread it even if they don’t have symptoms. If you have mild COVID-19 or have no symptoms, the CDC recommends isolation through day 5 (after symptoms appear or a positive test result) and wearing a mask through day 10. Those with moderate-to-severe COVID-19 should isolate through day 10, and those who are immunocompromised through day 20.
Can pets get COVID?
Some pets have tested positive for the coronavirus. Not all of these animals had signs of illness, but some had mild symptoms. The animals may have caught the virus from close contact with humans who were infected.
Public health officials say they are still studying COVID-19 but it appears that humans can pass it to pets, although it’s not as likely that pets can pass it to humans.
Experts believe the virus that causes COVID-19 spreads mainly from person to person. There are several ways this can happen:
The virus most often spreads through people who have symptoms. But it is possible to pass it on without showing any signs. Some people who don’t know they’ve been infected and never develop symptoms can give COVID-19 to others. This is called asymptomatic spread. You can also pass it on before you notice any signs of infection and then later get symptoms, called presymptomatic spread.
Is COVID airborne?
Yes. It can get into your lungs if someone who has it breathes out and you breathe that air in. Experts are divided on how often the virus spreads through the airborne route.
How long does COVID stay in the air?
Research shows that the virus can live in the air for up to 3 hours.
Sometimes, a person can trace how they got the virus because they know that they’ve been in contact with someone who’s sick. In other cases, the cause is unknown. Community spread is when people in an area get the virus, including some without any known contact with someone who is sick.
Can I get infected from delivery food, packages, or groceries?It’s highly unlikely that you’ll catch COVID-19 from packages, groceries, or food. If case levels are high in your community or you are at risk of infection or developing serious COVID-19 symptoms, try to keep at least 6 feet away from others in the store or have food delivered or arrange curbside pickup. If these options aren’t possible, wear a face mask, too. Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds before and after bringing things into your home. Wiping down packaging is optional. Continue to clean surfaces that are touched often.
Since the beginning of the pandemic there have been several COVID-19 variants, including Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron, with a range of dominance among the strains.
Researchers say that on average, every person who has COVID-19 will pass it on to 2 or 2.5 others. One study says that number is even higher, with one sick person infecting between 4.7 and 6.6 others.
By comparison, someone who has the flu will probably give it to an average of 1.1 to 2.3 others. But one person with measles might spread it to 12 to 18 others.Although children tend to get infected with the coronavirus less often and have milder symptoms than adults, they can still catch and spread it. Some have become seriously ill and even died.
CDC guidelines regarding COVID-19 prevention include:
Additional guidance about extra steps you can choose to take, especially in areas known to have higher levels of COVID-19:
As you’re encouraged to be vaccinated, there are currently 3 COVID-19 vaccines approved by the FDA for added protection.
Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine, a one-dose shot for people 18 years of age and older, was previously available; however it is no longer in the U.S.
The current versions of all three vaccines are geared to build immunity against the current COVID-19 variants. Recent CDC recommendations according to age group and previous vaccinations include:
Ages 5 years and older:
Ages 6 months to 4 years of age:If unvaccinated, updated Pfizer (3 doses) or updated Moderna (2 doses) COVID-19 vaccines are recommended.If previously vaccinated, the number of recommended doses depends on how many doses and which vaccine they previously received.Pfizer. With1 previous dose of the Pfizer vaccine, 2 doses of updated Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine are recommended. If they received 2 or more previous doses, 1 updated Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is recommended.Moderna. With 1 previous dose or 2 or more previous doses, 1 updated Moderna COVID-19 vaccine is recommended (time between doses varies depending on number of previous doses).Those who are immunocompromised may require additional doses. Also, if you recently had COVID-19, you can delay COVID-19 vaccination for 3 months, as you’re not likely to become infected again a few weeks to a month after having COVID-19. Consider getting it sooner if:The current hospital admission level in your area is high. The current, most common variant is causing sickness. You’re going to have close contact with a loved one and could put them at risk.You’re personally high risk for severe illness.
All three vaccines are proven to be very effective in stopping the spread of COVID-19 and lowering your chance of getting very sick. The CDC states there is no preferred COVID-19 vaccine over another when more than one of these versions is available.If you notice any allergic reactions or side effects after taking the vaccine, let your doctor know.
COVID-19 is a serious illness. It’s important to take steps to prevent the spread of the coronavirus because:
Quarantine is for people who don’t have symptoms but who might have been exposed to COVID-19. The idea is to keep you from unknowingly infecting others.
Self-quarantine is usually voluntary. But the federal or state government may legally require you to do it for certain illnesses.
COVID quarantine guidelines
The CDC now recommends that instead of quarantining if you were exposed to COVID-19, you wear a high-quality mask for 10 days and get tested on day 5.
Who needs to quarantine?
isolate yourself if you’re sick or have symptoms and don’t have test results yet.
How long does quarantine last?
Isolate yourself until there’s no chance that you could spread the virus. If your test results are negative, you can end your isolation. Your doctor can also tell you when it’s safe to stop.
General recommendations for self-isolation include:
Isolation is a health care term that means separating people who are contagious from people who aren’t. If you have COVID-19, you’ll be isolated because you may infect others. There are two types of isolation:
Medical isolation. At hospitals, health care centers, and prisons, the staff separates people who are infected from people who aren’t. Staff members wear equipment like masks, gloves, and face shields to protect themselves and prevent spreading the virus.
Self-isolation. You’ll be advised to self-isolate if you test positive for COVID-19 or if you have symptoms like coughing and fever but don’t need to be hospitalized. Like quarantining, self-isolation is usually voluntary. But public health agencies may legally require it for certain diseases.
If you have COVID-19, regardless of whether or not you’re vaccinated, you should self-isolate for 5 days. The CDC also recommends isolation if you are sick or think you have COVID-19 but haven’t taken a test. If test results are negative, you can stop isolation. If they are positive, additional recommendations include: If you don’t have symptoms or had symptoms and they are improving (i.e., fever-free for 24 hours without medication), you can stop isolation after day 5. If you have symptoms that are not improving, continue to isolate until you’re without symptoms or fever-free for 24 hours without help from fever-reducing medications. If you had symptoms and your case was moderate to severe, you should isolate through day 10. For severe cases, talk to your doctor as they may also recommend testing before ending isolation.Wear your mask around other people through day 10. You can remove your mask before day 10 with 2 back-to-back negative test results (48 hours apart).
Anyone can get COVID-19. But you have a higher chance of getting seriously ill from it if you:
Get medical help right away if you have severe symptoms such as:
If it’s an emergency, call 911 or head to the nearest hospital for medical attention.
Overview
COVID-19, also called coronavirus disease 2019, is an illness caused by a virus. The virus is called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, or more commonly, SARS-CoV-2. It started spreading at the end of 2019 and became a pandemic disease in 2020.
The virus that causes COVID-19 spreads most commonly through the air in tiny droplets of fluid between people in close contact. Many people with COVID-19 have no symptoms or mild illness. But for older adults and people with certain medical conditions, COVID-19 can lead to the need for care in the hospital or death.
Staying up to date on your COVID-19 vaccine helps prevent serious illness, the need for hospital care due to COVID-19 and death from COVID-19. Other ways that may help prevent the spread of this coronavirus includes good indoor air flow, physical distancing, wearing a mask in the right setting and good hygiene.
Medicine can limit the seriousness of the viral infection. Most people recover without long-term effects, but some people have symptoms that continue for months.
Symptoms
Typical COVID-19 symptoms often show up 2 to 14 days after contact with the virus.
Symptoms can include:
People may only have a few symptoms or none. People who have no symptoms but test positive for COVID-19 are called asymptomatic. For example, many children who test positive don’t have symptoms of COVID-19 illness. People who go on to have symptoms are considered presymptomatic. Both groups can still spread COVID-19 to others.
Some people may have symptoms that get worse about 7 to 14 days after symptoms start.
Most people with COVID-19 have mild to moderate symptoms. But COVID-19 can cause serious medical complications and lead to death. Older adults or people who already have medical conditions are at greater risk of serious illness.
COVID-19 may be a mild, moderate, severe or critical illness.
Rarely, people who catch the coronavirus can develop a group of symptoms linked to inflamed organs or tissues. The illness is called multisystem inflammatory syndrome. When children have this illness, it is called multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, shortened to MIS-C. In adults, the name is MIS-A.
When to see a doctor
Contact a healthcare professional if you test positive for COVID-19. If you have symptoms and need to test for COVID-19, or you’ve been exposed to someone with COVID-19, a healthcare professional can help.
Get emergency help right away for any of these symptoms:
This list doesn’t include every emergency symptom. If you or a person you’re taking care of has symptoms that worry you, get help. Let the healthcare team know about a positive test for COVID-19 or symptoms of the illness.
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Causes
COVID-19 is caused by infection with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, also called SARS-CoV-2.
The coronavirus spreads mainly from person to person, even from someone who is infected but has no symptoms. When people with COVID-19 cough, sneeze, breathe, sing or talk, their breath may be infected with the COVID-19 virus.
The coronavirus carried by a person’s breath can land directly on the face of a nearby person, after a sneeze or cough, for example. The droplets or particles the infected person breathes out could possibly be breathed in by other people if they are close together or in areas with low air flow. And a person may touch a surface that has respiratory droplets and then touch their face with hands that have the coronavirus on them.
It’s possible to get COVID-19 more than once.
The virus that causes COVID-19 can infect some pets. Cats, dogs, hamsters and ferrets have caught this coronavirus and had symptoms. It’s rare for a person to get COVID-19 from a pet.
Risk factors
The main risk factors for COVID-19 are:
Many factors affect your risk of catching the virus that causes COVID-19. How long you are in contact, if the space has good air flow and your activities all affect the risk. Also, if you or others wear masks, if someone has COVID-19 symptoms and how close you are affects your risk. Close contact includes sitting and talking next to one another, for example, or sharing a car or bedroom.
It seems to be rare for people to catch the virus that causes COVID-19 from an infected surface. While the virus is shed in waste, called stool, COVID-19 infection from places such as a public bathroom is not common.
Serious COVID-19 illness risk factors
Some people are at a higher risk of serious COVID-19 illness than others. This includes people age 65 and older as well as babies younger than 6 months. Those age groups have the highest risk of needing hospital care for COVID-19.
Not every risk factor for serious COVID-19 illness is known. People of all ages who have no other medical issues have needed hospital care for COVID-19.
Known risk factors for serious illness include people who have not gotten a COVID-19 vaccine. Serious illness also is a higher risk for people who have:
People with dementia or Alzheimer’s also are at higher risk, as are people with brain and nervous system conditions such as stroke. Smoking increases the risk of serious COVID-19 illness. And people with a body mass index in the overweight category or obese category may have a higher risk as well.
Other medical conditions that may raise the risk of serious illness from COVID-19 include:
This list is not complete. Factors linked to a health issue may raise the risk of serious COVID-19 illness too. Examples are a medical condition where people live in a group home, or lack of access to medical care. Also, people with more than one health issue, or people of older age who also have health issues have a higher chance of severe illness.
Complications
Complications of COVID-19 include long-term loss of taste and smell, skin rashes, and sores. The illness can cause trouble breathing or pneumonia. Medical issues a person already manages may get worse.
Complications of severe COVID-19 illness can include:
Post-COVID-19 Syndrome
After a COVID-19 infection, some people report that symptoms continue for months, or they develop new symptoms. This syndrome has often been called long COVID, or post-COVID-19. You might hear it called long haul COVID-19, post-COVID conditions or PASC. That’s short for post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2.
Other infections, such as the flu and polio, can lead to long-term illness. But the virus that causes COVID-19 has only been studied since it began to spread in 2019. So, research into the specific effects of long-term COVID-19 symptoms continues.
Researchers do think that post-COVID-19 syndrome can happen after an illness of any severity.
Getting a COVID-19 vaccine may help prevent post-COVID-19 syndrome.
Prevention
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends a COVID-19 vaccine for everyone age 6 months and older. The COVID-19 vaccine can lower the risk of death or serious illness caused by COVID-19. It lowers your risk and lowers the risk that you may spread it to people around you.
The COVID-19 vaccines available in the United States are:
In general, people age 5 and older with typical immune systems can get any vaccine approved or authorized for their age. They usually don’t need to get the same vaccine each time.
Some people should get all their vaccine doses from the same vaccine maker, including:
Talk to your healthcare professional if you have any questions about the vaccines for you or your child. Your healthcare team can help you if:
People with weakened immune systems
Your health care team may suggest added doses of COVID-19 vaccine if you have a moderately or severely weakened immune system.
Control the spread of infection
In addition to vaccination, there are other ways to stop the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19.
If you are at a higher risk of serious illness, talk to your healthcare professional about how best to protect yourself. Know what to do if you get sick so you can quickly start treatment.
If you feel ill or have COVID-19, stay home and away from others, including pets, if possible. Avoid sharing household items such as dishes or towels if you’re sick.
In general, make it a habit to:
Try to spread out in crowded public areas, especially in places with poor airflow. This is important if you have a higher risk of serious illness.
The CDC recommends that people wear a mask in indoor public spaces if you’re in an area with a high number of people with COVID-19 in the hospital. They suggest wearing the most protective mask possible that you’ll wear regularly, that fits well and is comfortable.
Travel and COVID-19
Travel brings people together from areas where illnesses may be at higher levels. Masks can help slow the spread of respiratory diseases in general, including COVID-19. Masks help the most in places with low air flow and where you are in close contact with other people. Also, masks can help if the places you travel to or through have a high level of illness.
Masking is especially important if you or a companion have a high risk of serious illness from COVID-19.
More Information
Feb. 21, 2024