What is COVID-19

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause respiratory infections. These can range from the common cold to more serious diseases.

COVID-19 is a disease caused by a new form of coronavirus. It was first reported in December 2019 in Wuhan City in China.

Other coronaviruses include Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

Symptoms

Symptoms of COVID-19 can range from mild illness to pneumonia. Some people will recover easily, and others may get very sick very quickly. People with coronavirus may experience symptoms such as:

fever

respiratory symptoms coughing sore throat shortness of breath



Other symptoms can include runny nose, headache, muscle or joint pains, nausea, diarrhoea, vomiting, loss of sense of smell, altered sense of taste, loss of appetite and fatigue.

To stop the spread of COVID-19 people with even mild symptoms of respiratory infection should get tested.

If you are concerned you may have COVID-19:

healthdirect Coronavirus (COVID-19) Symptom Checker Answer questions about your symptoms to see if you need to seek medical help or get tested. This tool is available online at any time.

If you do not have any symptoms, you should still protect yourself and others.

How it spreads

The virus can spread from person to person through:

close contact with an infectious person (including in the 48 hours before they had symptoms)

contact with droplets from an infected person’s cough or sneeze

touching objects or surfaces (like doorknobs or tables) that have droplets from an infected person, and then touching your mouth or face

COVID-19 is a new disease, so there is no existing immunity in our community. This means that COVID-19 could spread widely and quickly.

See how to protect yourself and others.

Who is most at risk

In Australia, the people most at risk of getting the virus are:

travellers who have recently been overseas

those who have been in close contact with someone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19

people in correctional and detention facilities

people in group residential settings

People who are, or are more likely to be, at higher risk of serious illness if they get the virus are:

At this stage the risk to children and babies, and the role children play in the transmission of COVID-19, is not clear. However, there has so far been a low rate of confirmed COVID-19 cases among children, relative to the broader population. For more information about COVID-19 and children please read this fact sheet.

There is limited evidence at this time regarding the risk in pregnant women.

See our advice for people at risk.

Protect yourself and others

Everyone must do the following things to slow the spread of COVID-19 and protect those who are most at risk.

If you have travelled recently, see our advice for travellers.

How to seek medical attention

If you are sick and think you have symptoms of COVID-19, seek medical advice and get tested. If you want to talk to someone about your symptoms, call the National Coronavirus Helpline for advice.

To seek medical help from a doctor or hospital, call ahead of time to book an appointment.

You will be asked to take precautions when you attend for treatment. Follow the instructions you are given.

If you have a mask, wear it to protect others. Stay at least 1.5 metres away from other people. Cover your coughs or sneezes with your elbow.

Tell the doctor about:

your symptoms

any travel history

any recent contact you have had with someone who has COVID-19

How to get tested

If you have cold or flu like symptoms, such as a cough, fever, sore throat, shortness of breath or runny nose, even if these are mild, you should get tested for COVID-19 as soon as possible. People with mild symptoms can still spread the virus. To help stop the spread of COVID-19, anyone with cold or flu-like symptoms should get tested.

As part of Australia’s response to COVID-19, public health units around Australia have increased testing. People may have a COVID-19 test for several reasons. You can find more guidance for people who are tested under these enhanced procedures for COVID-19.

If you need to get tested, you can:

attend a free COVID-19 respiratory clinic

contact your doctor and they will arrange the test, this may attract a fee

COVID-19 respiratory clinics are dedicated health centres located around the country, focusing on testing people with symptoms of respiratory infection.

Find the COVID-19 respiratory clinic nearest to you.

If your symptoms are severe, you should seek urgent medical attention. If possible, call ahead so the medical facility can prepare.

If it is a medical emergency, please call 000.

Early diagnosis means you can get the help you need and take steps to avoid spreading the virus to someone else.

Testing diagnoses patients with COVID-19 and helps health authorities monitor and track the spread of COVID-19. As the situation changes, states and territories may adjust their testing criteria based on local needs. For latest information check your state or territory health website.

Testing is important for anyone with symptoms and particularly if any of the following apply to you:

you have returned from overseas in the past 14 days

you have been in close contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19 in the past 14 days

you are a health care, aged care or residential care worker or staff member with direct patient contact

you have lived in or travelled through an area where there is a higher risk of community transmission, as defined by the local public health unit

you travelled on a cruise ship (either passenger or crew) in the 14 days before developing symptoms

People in high-risk settings will be regularly monitored to ensure symptoms are identified early. Rapid response plans will be activated if someone in those settings develops a fever or respiratory symptoms. People who have recovered from COVID-19 need to be tested before they can go into high risk settings.

High-risk settings include:

aged and residential care facilities

detention centres or correctional facilities

boarding schools

military group residences and other closed settings, such as Navy ships or live-in accommodation

rural and remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities

After testing

If you get tested for the virus, or you have symptoms, you need to stay at home and avoid contact with other people. You will need to do this until you either have a negative test result or your symptoms have gone – whichever is longer. It may take a day or 2 for your test results to come back.

If you have serious symptoms you will be kept in hospital and isolated from other patients to prevent the virus spreading.

If your doctor says you are well enough to go home while you wait for your test results, you should:

For questions about testing or patient welfare, call the National Coronavirus Helpline.

Temperature checks

A temperature check is when a monitoring device, such as a contactless thermometer or thermal imaging, checks whether someone has a fever. In places like hospitals and aged care facilities, temperature checks may be useful as an extra precaution to protect vulnerable people. Some places might test visitors as well as workers.

Temperature checks are not as useful in other settings. People with COVID-19 don’t always develop fever, or they might have a fever from another illness. Some medications reduce fever.

If you feel unwell with COVID-19 symptoms, even mild ones, stay home and get tested for COVID-19. This is an important part of our 3-step framework for a COVIDSafe Australia.

COVID-19 and breastfeeding

Women are encouraged to continue breastfeeding during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Read our advice on COVID-19 and breastfeeding.

Resources

See our answers to frequently asked questions about COVID-19.

To find out more, see our English COVID-19 resources and translated COVID-19 resources.

Information about COVID-19 and the COVIDSafe app is also available in 63 languages on the Department of Home Affairs website.

For what we are doing to limit the spread of COVID-19, go to Government response to the outbreak.

Support

Support is available if you are concerned about COVID-19 or are distressed because you are in quarantine or sick. It is important to look after your mental health.

The Australian Government is providing additional Medicare-subsidised psychological therapy sessions for Australians affected by the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Visit the Head to Health website:

links to mental health online and phone support

resources and services that can help if you’re experiencing mental health concerns or trying to support someone else

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