How Can COVID-19 Infection be Prevented?

Wash your hands often with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds - use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.

Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.

Stay home if you’re sick.

Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

Get a flu shot! A flu shot won’t protect against COVID-19, but if you do get the flu, your symptoms will be less severe, easing the burden on health care facilities.

Sing “Happy Birthday” two times through as you’re washing.

Notes:

There is no vaccine to prevent COVID-19.

The best way to prevent infection is to avoid being exposed to the virus that causes COVID-19.

The same measures urged to prevent the spread of any respiratory virus are increasingly important for all Georgians.

A flu shot will not protect against COVID-19, but it will help keep people with flu complications out of the hospital so the health care system does not become overburdened in the event of a COVID-19 outbreak.