COVID-19: Caring for Someone

Last updated: February 14, 2022 at 9 p.m.

Caring for a Child Who Has COVID-19

If a child in your household is sick with COVID-19, parents and caregivers should continue providing care and support for their daily needs. Most children have milder symptoms of COVID-19 than adults. Some children with COVID-19 can get very sick, may need to be taken to hospital or may get more serious and long-lasting symptoms.

Seek medical attention if your child has any of the following:

Is under 3 months of age with a fever or trouble breathing
Fever that lasts more than 7 days
Bluish skin colour
Not drinking enough fluid
Not waking up
Fever with a rash
Constant vomiting or diarrhea
Is immune compromised and has a fever

Prevent further spread of COVID-19 by:

Wearing a well-fitted mask inside the home;
Isolating as much as possible from family members who are at high-risk of serious illness from COVID-19;
Washing hands with soap and water;
Increasing air flow by opening up windows if it is safe to do so;
Disinfecting items that get touched a lot such as dishes, utensils, counters, faucets, doorknobs and toilet handles;
Not sleeping in the same bed as your child;
As much as possible, staying six feet/two metres apart from all others in the household;
All household members must stay home for the same isolation period.

Helping our children get vaccinated is the most important thing we can do right now to protect our children, families and community from COVID-19.

Download this information as a PDF (also available in French, Amharic, Arabic, Bengali, Dari, Farsi, Gujarati, Pashto, Punjabi, Simplified Chinese, Tamil, Tigrinya, Urdu, Hungarian, Portuguese, Slovak, Somali, Spanish, Vietnamese).

Also see Public Health Ontario’s guidance on how to care for a child who needs to self-isolate.

Resource

Looking After Yourself and Your family During COVID-19 Self-Isolation

Caring for Someone Who Has COVID-19

If you are caring for or living with someone who has COVID-19, or you are considered a close contact, inform any health care providers that you are a close contact of someone infected with COVID-19. The new COVID-19 variants of concern may spread more easily. It more important than ever to carefully follow the following public health practices.

Wash Your Hands Often

Wash your hands with soap and water for 15 seconds after each contact with the person who has COVID-19.
Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water is not available.

Wear a Mask and Gloves

Wear a mask and gloves when you have contact with the person’s saliva or other body fluids (e.g. blood, sweat, saliva, vomit, urine or feces).

Dispose of Gloves and Mask after Use

Take the gloves and mask off right after you provide care and dispose of them in the wastebasket lined with the plastic bag.
Take off the gloves and clean your hands with soap and water before taking off your mask.
After you take off your mask, clean your hands again with soap and water before touching your face or doing anything else.

Only Essential Visitors

Only have visitors who you must see and keep the visits short (e.g. support or home care professionals).
Keep seniors and people with chronic medical conditions (e.g. diabetes, lung problems, and immune deficiency) away from the person who has COVID-19.

Avoid Sharing Household Items

Do not share dishes, drinking glasses, cups, eating utensils, towels, bedding or other items with the person who has COVID-19.
After use, these items should be washed with soap or detergent in warm water. No special soap is needed.
Dishwashers and washing machines can be used.
Do not share cigarettes.

Cleaning

Clean your home with regular household cleaners.
Clean frequently-touched items such as toilets, sink tap handles, doorknobs and bedside tables, on a daily basis.

Wash Laundry Thoroughly

There is no need to separate laundry, but you should wear gloves when handling laundry.
Clean your hands with soap and water for 15 seconds immediately after removing your gloves.

Be Careful When Touching Waste

All waste can go into regular garbage bins.
When emptying wastebaskets, take care to not touch used tissues with your hands.
- Lining the wastebasket with a plastic bag makes waste disposal easier and safer.
Clean your hands with soap and water for 15 seconds after emptying a wastebasket.

Resource

Looking After Yourself and Your family During COVID-19 Self-Isolation

Public Health Ontario Guide

For information in French about COVID-19, please visit the Government of Ontario’s website and Public Health Ontario portal.