Many things can affect how your body responds to a symptom and what kind of care you may need. These include:

• Your age. Babies and older adults tend to get sicker quicker.
• Your overall health. If you have a condition such as diabetes, HIV, cancer, or heart disease, you may need to pay closer attention to certain symptoms and seek care sooner.
• Medicines you take. Certain medicines, such as blood thinners (anticoagulants), medicines that suppress the immune system like steroids or chemotherapy, herbal remedies, or supplements can cause symptoms or make them worse.
• Recent health events, such as surgery or injury. These kinds of events can cause symptoms afterwards or make them more serious.
• Your health habits and lifestyle, such as eating and exercise habits, smoking, alcohol or drug use, sexual history, and travel.

There are many high-risk health problems that can make a COVID-19 illness more serious. And as experts learn more about COVID-19, more health problems or conditions may be added to the list.

High-risk health problems may include:

• Age.
  • Babies born premature or who are less than 1 year old may be at high risk.
  • The risk also increases with age. Older adults are at highest risk.
• Asthma, cystic fibrosis, COPD, and other chronic lung disease.
• Tuberculosis (TB).
• Vaping or smoking or having a history of smoking.
• Heart conditions, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or high blood pressure.
• HIV.
• A weakened immune system or taking medicines (such as steroids) that suppress the immune system. This includes certain medicines needed after organ transplants.
• Cancer or getting treatment for cancer.
• Neurologic conditions or diseases that involve the nerves and brain, such as a stroke, dementia, or cerebral palsy.
• Being overweight (obesity).
• Diabetes.
• Chronic kidney disease.
• Liver disease.
• Substance use disorders.
• Sickle cell disease.
• Pregnancy or a recent pregnancy.
• Genetic, metabolic, or neurologic problems in children. This includes children who may have many health problems that affect many body systems. These problems may limit how well the child can do routine activities of daily life.
• Down syndrome.
• Mood disorders, such as depression or schizophrenia.

The more of these health problems you have, the higher your risk for serious illness from COVID-19.

Symptoms of COVID-19 may include:

• Fever.
• Cough.
• Mild trouble breathing.
• Chills or repeated shaking with chills.
• Muscle and body aches.
• Headache.
• Sore throat.
• New loss of taste or smell.
• Nausea or vomiting.
• Diarrhea.
• Stuffy or runny nose.

Children and teens may also have a stomachache or belly pain and may not feel like eating.

Your risk of exposure to COVID-19 is based partly on who you have been in close contact with.

Close contact with people who have COVID-19 means:

• You have been within 6 feet (2 meters) of them for a combined total of 15 minutes, and they were infected at that time.
  • Infected people can spread COVID-19 at least 48 hours (or 2 days) before they have any symptoms or have a test done that ends up being positive for COVID-19.
  • They can spread the virus for at least 10 days after they first have symptoms or have a test done.
• You have taken care of someone who has COVID-19.
• An infected person coughed or sneezed directly on you.

Note: Even if you're up to date on your COVID-19 vaccines, there's still a chance you can get and spread COVID-19. Talk to your doctor as soon as you can if you've had close contact with someone who has symptoms or a positive test for COVID-19. You will need a COVID-19 test. Wear a mask around other people for a full 10 days. Avoid travel and stay away from people at high risk for serious illness. Watch for symptoms.

Serious symptoms may include:

• Moderate trouble breathing. (You can't speak full sentences.)
• Coughing up blood.
• Signs of low blood pressure. These include feeling lightheaded; being too weak to stand; and having cold, pale, clammy skin.

Symptoms of MIS-C (multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children) may affect children and teens younger than 21 years old.

MIS-C symptoms can occur in a child or teen who in the past few months either had COVID-19 or was in close contact with someone who had COVID-19.

You may not have known that your child or teen had COVID-19.

MIS-C symptoms may include:

• A fever for more than 24 hours along with any new or worse:
  • Belly pain.
  • Vomiting.
  • Diarrhea.
  • Rash.
  • Red eyes.
  • Dizziness.

Emergency symptoms may include:

• Severe trouble breathing. You can't talk at all. Young children may have flared nostrils and their belly moves in and out with every breath.
• Pale, gray, or blue-colored skin or lips.
• Severe and constant pain or pressure in the chest.
• Severe and constant dizziness or lightheadedness.
• Acting confused (new or worsening).
• Passing out (losing consciousness) or being very hard to wake up.
• Slurred speech (new or worsening).
• New seizures or seizures that won't stop.
• Sunken eyes, refusing fluids, or not urinating much. (These are signs of dehydration.)