About Covid-19
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses, some causing illness in people and others that circulate among animals, including camels, cats and bats. Rarely, animal coronaviruses can evolve and infect people and then spread between people such as has been seen with recent outbreaks of MERS and SARS. Visit http://www.coronavirus.gov to learn more.
Monoclonal antibodies (or mAb) have been authorized to treat patients with mild to moderate COVID-19. The treatments are done by intravenous (IV) infusion in an outpatient setting and require a referral from the patients’ physician or clinic. These man-made drugs block the COVID-19 virus from attaching to and entering human cells, thus neutralizing the virus that causes COVID-19. Click here for more information.
For confirmed infections, reported illnesses have ranged from infected people with little to no symptoms (similar to the common cold) to people being severely ill and dying. Symptoms can include:
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
Or at least two of these symptoms:
- Fever
- Chills
- Repeated shaking with chills
- Muscle pain
- Headache
- Sore throat
- New loss of taste or smell
CDC believes at this time that symptoms of COVID-19 may appear in as few as 2 days or as long as 14 after exposure.
There is no specific antiviral treatment recommended for COVID-19 infection. People infected with COVID-19 should receive supportive care to help relieve symptoms.
A person is considered recovered when it has been at least seven days after the onset of illness, AND at least three day after resolution of fever (without the use of fever-reducing medications) AND resolution or improvement in respiratory symptoms.
Coronavirus spreads from an infected person to others through:
- Respiratory droplets produced when coughing and sneezing
- Close personal contact
- Touching an object or surface with the virus on it, then touching your mouth, nose, or eyes.
If you have questions about coronavirus, please contact the Louisiana 211 Network by dialing dial 211. Or, you can text the keyword LACOVID to 898-211 for the most current information about the outbreak as it becomes available.
Whether it is a natural disaster, a public health emergency or something more personal, it is normal to have feelings of anxiety, grief, stress, fear or worry. Coping with these feelings and getting help when you need it will help you, your family and your community recover. Our Keep Calm hotline connects you to trained, compassionate counselors who can offer support and who can direct you to mental health and substance abuse counseling services.
Call 1-866-310-7977 24/7
Trained counselors available 24/7. All calls are confidential.