Prevention and Treatment

Protect Yourself and Others

A few simple steps can greatly reduce your chances of being exposed and exposing others to COVID-19, the illness caused by SARS-CoV-2. Everyone should:

• Practice good hygiene: cover coughs and sneezes, don't touch your face, and wash hands often
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick
• Stay home if you are sick
• Avoid poorly ventilated spaces and crowds
• Follow isolation recommendations
• Stay up-to-date with COVID-19 vaccines

The best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to it. Learn more on How to Protect Yourself and Others and Knowing Your Exposure Risk from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Podcast: Standard Precautions and Beyond

Standard Precautions and Beyond: Conversations in Infection Prevention and Control is a new podcast for the Alabama Regional Center for Infection Prevention and Control Training and Technical Assistance, a collaborative effort of the ADPH Infectious Disease and Outbreaks Division and the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Faces of COVID

"When I sat down in the chair and talked to the nurse who would administer the COVID-19 vaccine to me, I felt a sense of peace." - Alexis

Watch Her Video | Read Her Story

Previous Faces of COVID stories: Pippa Abston Video | Story

Additional Resources

• Wearing Masks and Respirators
• Improving Ventilation in Your Home

Outpatient Treatment

COVID-19 Treatments and Medications (CDC)

Management of Patients with COVID-19 is based on the severity of the disease. Specific treatments recommended for persons hospitalized with severe illness are not covered below.

Here are some important CDC resources for those with COVID-19 or caring for those with COVID-19:

• What to Do If You Are Sick
• Caring for Someone Sick at Home

For information concerning COVID-19 therapeutics, please consult the following links:

• Locate a therapeutics location in Alabama
• Locate a therapeutics location anywhere in the U.S.
• ASPR COVID-19 Therapeutics
• IDSA Guidelines on the Treatment and Management of Patients with COVID-19
• Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Treatment Guidelines
• NIH - What's New in the Guidelines?
• The COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines Panel’s Statement on Omicron Subvariants, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, and Therapeutic Management of Nonhospitalized Patients With COVID-19

Healthcare providers should also visit our COVID-19 Therapeutics for Healthcare Providers and Healthcare Providers pages.

Test to Treat Sites

After testing positive and seeing a healthcare provider, eligible individuals going to Test to Treat sites can immediately receive a prescription for oral COVID-19 treatment and have that prescription filled – all at one location in a participating site. A Test to Treat lo​c​ato​​r is available to help find participating sites. Learn more at Test to Treat.