Advice from experts

1. There are reasons not to panic. Control what you can, and acknowledge what you cannot. 
2. Obtain your information from healthcare professionals and scientists (epidemiologists and virologists are good examples). 
3. Wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds. Use hand sanitizer when you cannot use soap.
​4. Stay home if you can. Limit your time on Social Media, and stick to news sources that leverage scientists' data.
5. Follow the guidelines issued by your state and local governments. They are responding to your local situation.
6. Maintain a schedule. Take a shower. Wash your face. Change your clothes. Stay hydrated. Give your day structure, which is an important step for your mental health.
7. Service overcomes anxiety, so give to others.
8. If you must go out, maintain a 6 foot distance from others.  
9. If you are sick, reach out to and follow the guidance of your personal healthcare professionals. If they advise that you stay home and avoid other people, please do so.

INTERNATIONAL DIRECTIVES FROM W.H.O., NHS, AND BBC: WHAT ARE THE CORONAVIRUS SYMPTOMS?

Coronavirus infects the lungs. The two main symptoms are a fever and a dry cough, which can sometimes lead to breathing problems.
  • The cough to look out for is a new, continuous cough. This means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or having three or more coughing episodes in 24 hours. (If you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual).
  • You have a fever if your temperature is above 100.4F (37.8C). This can make you feel warm, cold or shivery.
  • It takes five days on average to start showing the symptoms, but some people will get symptoms much later than this. The World Health Organization (WHO) says the incubation period lasts up to 14 days.
  • A sore throat, headache and diarrhea have also been reported in some cases and a loss of smell and taste may also be a symptom. But these symptoms aren't specific to this coronavirus.

​On 18 April, the US's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its list of symptoms to look out for, to include:
  • Chills
  • Repeated shaking with chills
  • Muscle pain
  • Headache
  • Sore throat
  • New loss of taste or smell

travel precautions to be aware of

All individuals planning travel should seek advice on the potential hazards in their chosen destinations and understand how best to protect their health and minimize the risk of acquiring disease. Forward planning, appropriate preparation and careful precautions can protect their health and minimize the risks of accident and of acquiring disease. Read more

Venturing Out? Be Prepared and Stay Safe

While there is no way to ensure zero risk of infection, it is important to understand potential risks and how to adopt different types of prevention measures to protect yourself and to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.

As coronavirus spreads, many questions and some answers

Harvard Health provides answers to common questions all of us are asking.  They will be adding new questions and updating answers as reliable information becomes available.

Social and Physical Distancing and Self-Quarantine

Phrases such as “social distancing,” “self-quarantine” and “flattening the curve” are showing up in the media. What do they mean, and how might they apply to you?

Coronavirus disease (covid-19) outbreak

The COVID-19 virus affects different people in different ways.  COVID-19 is a respiratory disease and most infected people will develop mild to moderate symptoms and recover without requiring special treatment.

A day-by-day breakdown of coronavirus symptoms 

​According to data from China, most common symptoms so far are a fever, dry cough, and shortness of breath, but COVID-19 patients may develop only one or two of these conditions over the course of their illness.

​That Discomfort You’re Feeling Is Grief

David Kessler, the world’s foremost expert on grief, shared his thoughts on why it’s important to acknowledge the grief you may be feeling, how to manage it, and how he believes we will find meaning in it. The conversation is lightly edited for clarity.

​The Contagion We Can Control

While medical and public health leaders are working as hard as they can to control the spread of the novel coronavirus, we of course listen to and heed their advice. But experts in emotional intelligence also have something powerful to offer - a way to help us manage a different type of contagion that, if we let it run rampant, will only make things worse.