Public Health Madison & Dane County

What to Do if You are Sick or Possibly Exposed

Updated May 24, 2022

There are many possible symptoms of COVID-19, including fever, cough or shortness of breath. Here is guidance on what to do:

• I tested positive for COVID-19
• I was exposed to someone with COVID-19
• Someone in my home has COVID-19
• I’m a healthcare worker
• I’m a business owner or manager

Do I need to stay home?

If you tested positive for COVID-19 or were exposed to someone with COVID-19, use the CDC calculator to determine what steps you need to take. To use the calculator, click the button below, then once on the CDC's page, click Get Started.

Isolation and Quarantine Calculator

I Tested Positive for COVID-19

The table below is adapted from the CDC.

Calculate How Long to Isolate

Other things you should do

• If you had a positive at-home test, report your result. If you or your child has a positive at-home test, you can report your result to help Public Health better understand the level of COVID in our community. Please enter separate surveys for each individual who tested positive via a home test. You should also try to receive a follow-up PCR test collected at a clinic or community test site within 48 hours to confirm the test result.

• Expect us to reach out. We try to reach everyone who has a positive COVID test collected at a clinic or community test site by phone or text survey to provide isolation instructions. If you receive a phone call or text and would like to verify it is from our agency, you can call (608) 266-4821.

• Monitor your symptoms and call before visiting your doctor. If you have an appointment, be sure you tell them you have or may have COVID-19.
• Call your doctor if you have one or more of these health conditions. You may be eligible for COVID-19 treatment. Public Health Madison & Dane County is not able to provide treatment for COVID-19.
• Tell your employer, school, or child care center about your diagnosis. 
• If you are having a medical emergency, call 911. Notify dispatch that you have or may have COVID-19.
• Notify your close contacts. People in your household, and others you had close contact with need to get tested, stay home, and self-monitor for symptoms. See our exposure guidance for details.
• Take steps to limit the spread of COVID in your household. This means covering coughs and sneezes, wearing a mask around others in your household, avoiding sharing household items like dishes and bedding, washing your hands often, and cleaning "high touch" surfaces (like counters, doorknobs, and remotes) every day.
• You don’t need a test to end isolation. If you have access to a test and want to test, the best approach is to use an antigen test towards the end of your 5-day isolation. If you test negative, you can end isolation after meeting the other criteria to stop isolating. If you test positive, you should continue to isolate for your full 10-day isolation period and can stop isolating on day 11.
  • PCR/NAAT tests are not recommended for individuals who recently tested positive because with those tests you can test positive for up to 3 months after your initial positive test.

• You may receive the opportunity to help researchers learn more about COVID. We are partnering with the CDC and Monash University to learn more about how to prevent COVID-19. If you test positive, you may receive a link to a survey from Monash University after you complete our contact tracing survey. Filling out this survey is appreciated so that researchers can better understand people’s experiences with COVID-19.

I was exposed to someone with COVID-19

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services says “close contact” is if any of the following situations happened while you spent time with a person with COVID-19 during their isolation period and/or during the two days prior*, even if they didn’t have symptoms:

• You were within 6 feet of a person who had COVID-19 for a total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period.
• You had direct exposure to respiratory secretions (for example, being coughed or sneezed on, sharing a drinking glass, utensils, towels or other personal items).
• You had direct physical contact with the person (for example, a hug, kiss, or handshake).
• You cared or care for a person who has COVID-19.
• You lived or live with a person who has COVID-19.
• You stayed overnight with them for at least one night in the same household.

*A person with COVID-19 is infectious two days before they have symptoms (or two days before their positive test was collected if they did not have symptoms) through the end of their isolation period.

The table below is adapted from the CDC.

If you can’t quarantine, you must wear a mask around others for 10 days. We strongly recommend quarantine as the safest option to prevent the spread of COVID.

Someone in my home is sick from COVID-19

• See the CDC guidance, Caring for Someone Sick at Home.
• The sick person should be in their own room and should have their own bathroom, if possible. They should have the door closed, and food and other needs should be left outside their door for them to pick up.
• The CDC has additional guidance for how to clean and disinfect your home if someone is sick, including how to clean surfaces, linens, dishes, and trash.
• The CDC also has information about how to minimize risk if you live in a house with close quarters (e.g., small apartment with more than one person or a house with multiple generations).

I’m a health care worker

I’m a business owner or manager

See our webpage What to Do If an Employee is Sick or was Possibly Exposed for more information.