From New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, March 21:
As COVID-19 becomes more common in our communities, testing every person presenting with mild symptoms of fever or respiratory illness becomes impractical and does not change how a person’s illness is managed. Therefore, DHHS has shared the following recommendations for COVID-19 testing:
People who are 60 years of age and older, or those with chronic medical problems are at higher risk for hospitalization and death from COVID-19 and should:
- Stay at home and away from public places.
- Avoid any domestic or international travel.
- Call a provider if you are experiencing symptoms. If not severely ill, please call ahead before showing up at a hospital or emergency department.
People who have mild symptoms of COVID-19, even if not tested, should stay home until:
- At least 7 days have passed since symptoms first appeared.
AND
- At least 72 hours have passed since recovery; which is defined as resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications and improvement in respiratory symptoms.
People who do not have symptoms but have been notified that they may have been exposed through close contact with a person with COVID-19 or a person presumed to have COVID-19 (without testing), and any persons who have traveled from countries with widespread sustained transmission should:
- Stay home (self-quarantine) for 14 days from the last day of potential exposure. It can take up to 14 days from the time someone is exposed to develop symptoms of COVID-19.
- Not be tested for COVID-19 because it doesn’t change the need for a person to self-quarantine even if testing is negative.
- Help us preserve our medical supplies by not asking to be tested.
For information on the differences between isolation and quarantine, please see the following information: https://www.nh.gov/covid19/documents/terms.pdf.
Symptoms of COVID-19 most often include fever or respiratory illness, such as cough. Early mild symptoms can include fatigue, headache, and muscle aches. Fever may not develop until several days into illness, or not at all, but people can still transmit the novel coronavirus very early in their course of illness.
For more information on COVID-19 in NH, please visit https://www.dhhs.nh.gov/dphs/cdcs/2019-ncov.htm. For the latest information from the CDC, please visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html.
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My 46 year old son lives and works in Rockingham County NH. He now has pinkeye, According to WebMD, pinkeye is a symptom of Covid 19. What should he do?
Call your doctor. Many things are symptoms of COVID-19 that are also caused by diseases other than COVID-19, so don’t jump to conclusions based on a website.
I am 59 1/2 years old with an autoimmune disorder and have had EVERY symptom of Covid-19 (and have tested negative for everything else), yet still cannot get tested. First because I had not left the country and now because I’m not a first responder. Testing DOES matter, even without available treatments or a cure. I have a husband who works with disabled children and those of us essential employees need to get back to work and earn a living if we do not have this virus.
Further, why is it every actor, musician, reporter and politician can get a test, and quick results, with no problem. The issue isn’t a lack of test kits, when they’re readily available to the wealthy and famous!
Finally, the statistics on how many people have this disease are reported multiple times per day, yet the numbers are completely inaccurate if almost no one is being tested. If you’re going to report to the public on the scope of this crisis, then obtain REAL numbers and report honestly.