Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

What You Need To Know

COVID-19 is a respiratory illness that can spread from person to person. The virus that causes COVID-19 is a novel coronavirus that was first identified during an investigation into an outbreak in Wuhan, China. Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that can cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe respiratory illness. Novel coronaviruses, like COVID-19, SARS, and MERS, are coronaviruses that jumped the animal to human species barrier.

What are the symptoms? 

Symptoms may appear in as few as 2 days or as long as 14 days after exposure. Symptoms of people with confirmed COVID-19 have primarily included cough and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, or at least two of the following symptoms:

• Fever
• Chills
• Repeated shaking with chills
• Muscle pain
• Headache
• Sore throat
• New loss of taste or smell

 Learn when to call 911 or your healthcare provider.

How is it spread? 

Similar to how flu and other respiratory illnesses spread, human coronaviruses most commonly spread from an infected person to others through respiratory droplets, including:

• Through the air by coughing and sneezing;
• Close personal contact, such as touching or shaking hands; and
• Touching an object or surface with the virus on it, then touching your mouth, nose, or eyes with unwashed hands.

Is there a treatment? 

There are no specific treatments recommended for infection with the COVID-19. People infected with COVID-19 should receive supportive care to help relieve symptoms, such as taking pain or fever medications, drinking plenty of fluids, and staying home and resting. Some patients who are very sick may need to go to the hospital to get care. People who think they may have been exposed to COVID-19 should call their healthcare provider immediately.

Travel Advisory

The City of Nashua recommends the following guidance from the CDC for any domestic and international travel. Due to this rapidly evolving situation, the CDC’s full updated travel advisory can be found on the their website, CDC: Information for Travelers. 

All individuals who have traveled or have had close contact with an individual with a confirmed case of COVID-19 should stay home and self-monitor for signs and symptoms of respiratory illness for 14 days after the date of their last exposure. If you are told by public health authorities to stay home, please maintain strict quarantine to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the community. 

We are aware that individuals with preexisting conditions, suppressed immune systems, and those older than 60 years of age are at increased risk of serious health complications, and even dying if they become ill with COVID-19. Older adults and those of any age with serious chronic medical conditions should postpone any non-essential domestic or international travel to minimize their risk from COVID-19.

If you are experiencing the following; signs of respiratory illness, recent travel to an area with widespread ongoing transmission of COVID-19, and/or close contact with an individual with a confirmed case of COVID-19, we advise the following:

• Stay home and avoid close contact with others.
• Call your healthcare provider and tell them about your symptoms and recent travel before visiting their office. If you do not have a healthcare provider, you should contact NH DHHS at (603) 271-4496. If you need emergency or urgent care, call the facility prior to your visit.
• Prevent the spread by staying at least six feet away from others and washing your hands often.

Prevent the Spread

The Nashua DPHCS recommends our community to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory illness by the following:

• Cover your mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing
• Stay home unless you need to travel for essential needs (groceries, medications, medical supplies, caring for a loved one, or an essential job)
• Wash your hands often for at least 20 seconds
• Do not touch your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands
• Practice social distancing by avoiding crowds with 10 people or more and maintaining a distance of 6 feet from others
• Wear a cloth face covering to protect others from your respiratory droplets in situations where you are unable to maintain social distancing
• Clean and disinfect objects and surfaces using standard cleaning products, according to the product’s manufacturer label. Surfaces should be allowed to air dry.

Use of Face Coverings

COVID-19 can be spread from person to person before symptoms develop. Wearing a face covering in public is a precaution to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and does not protect the wearer from COVID-19, but they can protect others in case the wearer is pre-symptomatically or asymptomatically transmitting the virus. 

The safe use of face coverings requires the wearer to maintain proper hand hygiene by frequently handwashing with soap and water or  alcohol-based hand sanitizer for at least 20 seconds. The wearer should prevent the spread of disease by not touching their face, nose, or eyes with unwashed hands and not touching the outside of the face covering. Lastly, social distancing by keeping a distance of at least six feet between yourself and others also protects the spread of our respiratory droplets. Nashua now requires the use of face coverings in public settings where you are unable to maintain social distancing (a distance of six feet between yourself and others).