Covid-19 Information
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CDC: Covid-19About Covid-19
COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) is a disease caused by a virus named SARS-CoV-2 and was discovered in December 2019 in Wuhan, China. It is very contagious and has quickly spread around the world.
COVID-19 causes respiratory symptoms that can feel much like a cold, a flu, or pneumonia. COVID-19 may attack more than your lungs and respiratory system. Other parts of your body may also be affected by the disease.
Most people with COVID-19 have mild symptoms, but some people become severely ill. Some people including those with minor or no symptoms may suffer from post-COVID conditions — or “long COVID”.
Older adults and people who have certain underlying medical conditions are at increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19.
Hundreds of thousands of people have died from COVID-19 in the United States. Vaccines against COVID-19 are safe and effective.
Vaccines teach our immune system to fight the virus that causes COVID-19.
For information on general Covid-19 symptoms, click the link below:
Variants
What You Need to Know
New variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, are expected to occur.
CDC is working with state and local public health officials to monitor the spread of all variants.
The Omicron variant continues to spread throughout communities and can infect people who have been vaccinated or have previously had COVID-19.
Staying up to date with your COVID-19 vaccines reduces your risk of severe illness, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19.
For information on variants, click the link below.
After Being Exposed to Covid-19
Immediate Precautions:
Wear a mask as soon as you find out you were exposed
Start counting from Day 1
- Day 0 is the day of your last exposure to someone with COVID-19
- Day 1 is the first full day after your last exposure
Continuous Precautions
- 10 Full Days
- You can still develop COVID-19 up to 10 days after you have been exposed.
- You can still develop COVID-19 up to 10 days after you have been exposed.
- Take Precautions
- Wear a high-quality mask or respirator (e.g., N95) any time you are around others inside your home or indoors in public 1
- Do not go places where you are unable to wear a mask.
Take extra precautions if you will be around people who are more likely to get very sick from COVID-19.
- Watch for symptoms
- fever (100.4°F or greater)
- cough
- shortness of breath
- If you develop symptoms
- isolate immediately
- get tested
- stay home until you know the result
- Day 6
- Get tested at least 5 full days after your last exposure
Test even if you don’t develop symptoms. If you already had COVID-19 within the past 90 days, see specific testing recommendations.
If You Test Negative:
Continue taking precautions through day 10. Wear a high-quality mask when around others at home and indoors in public.
You can still develop COVID-19 up to 10 days after you have been exposed.
If You Test Positive:
Isolate immediately
*About negative test results*
As noted in the Food and Drug Administration labeling for authorized over-the-counter antigen tests, negative test results do not rule out SARS-CoV-2 infection and should not be used as the sole basis for treatment or patient management decisions, including infection control decisions.
For more information on testing protocol, click the link below.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston encourages all of our families to get educated on Covid-19 and the vaccine. For more information, please scan the QR code.
Vaccines and Boosters
What You Need To Know:
Updated (bivalent) boosters became available on:
- September 2, 2022, for people 12 years of age and older
- October 12, 2022, for people aged 5–11
CDC recommends everyone stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines for their age group:
Getting a COVID-19 vaccine after you recover from COVID-19 infection provides added protection against COVID-19. If you recently had COVID-19, you may consider delaying your next vaccine dose (primary dose or booster) by 3 months from when your symptoms started or, if you had no symptoms, when you first received a positive test.
People who are moderately or severely immunocompromised have different recommendations for COVID-19 vaccines. COVID-19 vaccine and booster recommendations may be updated as CDC continues to monitor the latest COVID-19 data.
Updated Booster Recommendations
CDC recommends that people ages 5 years and older receive one updated (bivalent) booster if it has been at least 2 months since their last COVID-19 vaccine dose, whether that was:
- Their final primary series dose
or - An original (monovalent) booster
People who have gotten more than one original (monovalent) booster are also recommended to get an updated (bivalent) booster.
BGCGH hosts vaccine clinics on occasion. For general information on vaccination locations, click below.
COVID-19 TESTING
When to Get Tested for Covid-19
Key times to get tested:
- If you have symptoms, test immediately.
- If you were exposed to COVID-19 and do not have symptoms, wait at least 5 full days after your exposure before testing. If you test too early, you may be more likely to get an inaccurate result.
- If you are in certain high-risk settings, you may need to test as part of a screening testing program.
Consider testing before contact with someone at high risk for severe COVID-19, especially if you are in an area with a medium or high COVID-19 Community Level.
If Your COVID-19 Test is Positive:
Any positive COVID-19 test means the virus was detected and you have an infection.
- Isolate and take precautions including wearing a high-quality mask to protect others from getting infected.
- Tell people you had recent contact with that they may have been exposed.
- Monitor your symptoms. If you have any emergency warning signs, seek emergency care immediately.
- Consider contacting a healthcare provider, community health center, or pharmacy to learn about treatment options that may be available to you.
Treatment must be started within several days after you first develop symptoms to be effective. You are more likely to get very sick if you are an older adult or have an underlying medical condition. Possible treatment may be available for you.
If Your COVID-19 Test is Negative:
A negative COVID-19 test means the test did not detect the virus, but this doesn’t rule out that you could have an infection.
- If you have symptoms:
- You may have COVID-19, but tested before the virus was detectable, or you may have another illness.
- Take general public health precautions to prevent spreading an illness to others.
- Contact a healthcare provider if you have any questions about your test result or if your symptoms worsen.
If you do not have symptoms, but were exposed to the virus that causes COVID-19, you should continue to take recommended steps after exposure.
If you do not have symptoms and you have not been exposed to the virus that causes COVID-19, you may return to normal activities.
Continue to take steps to protect yourself and others, including monitoring for symptoms. Get tested again if symptoms appear.
For information on getting tested, click the link below:
Getting Tested
BGCGH Vaccine Clinics
Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Houston hosts vaccine clinics on occasion. Information on the next clinic and locations can be found by clicking the link below: