COVID-19: What to Do if You Have COVID-19 Symptoms

Last updated October 5, 2021 at 2:05 p.m.

Learn about COVID-19 symptoms and what to do if you experience symptoms. If you are a close contact of someone who has COVID-19, you should closely monitor for symptoms and get tested if symptoms develop – even if you have already been tested. If you are not a close contact, you should use the COVID-19 Self-Assessment Tool to determine if you should get tested.

COVID-19 causes a range of symptoms that vary from person-to-person. Some people may experience mild or no physical symptoms. Symptoms can take up to 10 days after exposure to COVID-19 to appear, and include new or worsening:

  • Fever > 37.8˚ C and/or chills
  • Cough – new or worsening
  • Trouble breathing
  • Decrease or loss of smell or taste
  • Very tired, sore muscles and joints (age 18 + only)
  • Nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhea (age < 18 only)

If you are a close contact of a confirmed case of COVID-19, you should also monitor for these additional symptoms and get tested:

  • Sore throat
  • Runny nose
  • Stuffy nose
  • Abdominal pain (ongoing)
  • Headache (new and unexplained)
  • Pink eye
  • Lack of appetite (young children)

Rarely, children can get an inflammatory condition that impacts the blood vessels, called vasculitis. It can present with prolonged fever, abdominal pain, red eyes, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and rash. It needs medical attention.

For others, there is a higher risk for severe illness, including people over the age of 60, and those with weakened immunity or underlying health conditions.

If you are a low-risk (non-close) contact, you may have been instructed by Toronto Public Health or a health care provider to self-monitor for symptoms of COVID-19 for 10 days. Follow Public Health Ontario’s instructions on how to self-monitor.

Instructions on how to self-monitor are also available in: French | Arabic | Bengali | Simplified Chinese | Traditional Chinese | Eastern Ojibwe | Farsi | German | Greek | Gujarati | Hindi | Italian | Japanese | Korean | Mohawk | Oji-Cree | Polish | Portuguese | Punjabi | Romanian | Russian | Somali | Spanish | Swampy Cree | Tagalog | Tamil | Ukrainian | Urdu | Vietnamese

If you develop any symptoms of COVID-19, you must stay home and self-isolate until you test negative for COVID-19 or a healthcare provider has diagnosed a condition that is not related to COVID-19. Your household members may also need to stay home until you test negative or receive an alternative diagnosis. If you choose not to get tested, you must self-isolate for 10 days from when your symptoms started. Your household members may also need to self-isolate for 10 days from their last contact with you. Use the COVID-19 Self-Assessment Tool to determine whether your household members should self-isolate.

Follow Public Health Ontario’s instructions on how to self-isolate if you develop symptoms. Instructions on how to self-isolate are also available in: French | Arabic | Bengali | Simplified Chinese | Traditional Chinese | Eastern Ojibwe | Farsi | German | Greek | Gujarati | Hindi | Italian | Japanese | Korean | Mohawk | Oji-Cree | Polish | Portuguese | Punjabi | Romanian | Russian | Somali | Spanish | Swampy Cree | Tagalog | Tamil | Ukrainian | Urdu | Vietnamese

Anyone with symptoms should arrange to get tested at a community Assessment Centre.  Continue to self-isolate until you receive a negative test result, and have been feeling better for at least 24 hours. If you experienced nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or stomach pain, you should wait at least 48 hours after receiving a negative test to end self-isolation.