- Current situation
- Symptoms and treatment
- Prevention and risks
- Canada's response
- Guidance documents
On this page
- How COVID-19 spreads
- Vaccination
- Individual public health measures
- Stay at home when you're sick
- Wear a well-fitting respirator or mask
- Improve indoor ventilation
- Practise respiratory etiquette and hand hygiene
- Clean and disinfect surfaces and objects
- Community-based public health measures
- Group living settings
- Businesses and workplaces
How COVID-19 spreads
COVID-19 spreads from an infected person to others through respiratory droplets and aerosols that can vary in size, such as:
- large droplets that fall to the ground rapidly (within seconds or minutes) near the infected person
- smaller droplets, sometimes called aerosols, that linger in the air, especially in indoor spaces
These respiratory droplets and aerosols are created when an infected person:
- breathes
- talks
- sings
- shouts
- coughs
- sneezes
COVID-19 can also spread by touching something that has the virus on it, then touching your mouth, nose or eyes with unwashed hands.
You can transmit COVID-19 before you start showing symptoms or without ever developing symptoms.
Learn more about:
- COVID-19 symptoms
Animals
We're still learning about the COVID-19 virus in animals. Based on available information to date, animal-to-human transmission is likely very uncommon.
People with COVID-19 can spread the virus to animals during close contact. To prevent possible infection, anyone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 should avoid contact with:
- household pets
- other animals, including feeding wildlife
Learn more about:
- Animals and COVID-19
Food
There's currently no evidence to suggest that food is a likely source of COVID-19, as there are no reported instances.
We're continually working to examine new scientific evidence between food safety and COVID-19. Scientists and food safety authorities around the world are also working closely to share information on COVID-19 and its relation to food safety. We'll continue to update Canadian food safety practices based on the most relevant and recent scientific findings.
Individual measures such as hand hygiene can help to reduce the risk of foodborne illnesses.
If we become aware of a potential food safety risk, we'll take appropriate actions to ensure the safety of Canada's food supply.
Learn more about:
- COVID-19 and food safety
- Healthy eatingduring the pandemic
- How to wash your hands properly to reduce the spread of COVID-19 (printable poster)
- Hand sanitizers approved by Health Canada
Vaccination
Evidence shows that the vaccines used in Canada are very effective at preventing severe illness, hospitalization and death from COVID-19.
It's important to receive a primary series and a booster dose (or doses) when eligible for the best protection against COVID-19.
Learn more about:
- COVID-19 vaccines
- COVID-19: How to get vaccinated
- COVID-19: Proof of vaccination
- Get your flu shot
Individual public health measures
Individual public health measures are effective actions you can use every day to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. These measures are also sometimes called personal preventive practices. It's most effective to use several measures at once, which is called layering.
Governments and public health authorities across Canada continue to adjust their public health advice based on their local situations. This includes easing of public health requirements. For this reason, you'll need to make your own decisions about which personal measures to take to reduce your risks. It's important to:
- stay up to date with your COVID-19 vaccinations
- pay attention to public health alerts and signals in your area
- local public health authorities may re-instate COVID-19 restrictions and recommendations if the situation changes
- think about the risks and make informed decisions on using individual public health measures to keep yourself and others safe
- respect the choices that others make about using individual public health measures
- consult travel advice, advisories and health notices before travelling
- follow public health measures while travelling and upon your return to Canada
Learn more about:
- Respiratory infectious diseases: How to reduce the spread with personal protective measures
- Break the chain of infection: Respiratory infectious diseases (infographic)
- Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV): Prevention and risks
- COVID-19: Contact your provincial or territorial public health authority
- My COVID-19 Visit Risk (calculator and decision aid)
- Government of Canada travel advice and advisories
- Government of Canada travel health notices
- COVID-19: Travel, testing and borders
Why these actions are still important
Following these actions remains important for many reasons. COVID-19 will continue to spread at different levels in our communities, and outbreaks will still occur. New variants of concern may also emerge.
There's also uncertainty around how long immunity from vaccination and previous infection lasts.
Some settings will continue to be higher risk, including crowded and poorly ventilated public spaces. The risk is higher if activities like singing or shouting, or ones that make people breathe heavily, are occurring.
The consequences of COVID-19 transmission may be greater in some populations and settings. These include people in group living settings and those at risk of more severe disease or outcomes. Following individual public health measures helps to protect these populations.
Post COVID-19 condition
Following individual public health measures can help reduce the risk of infection from COVID-19.
Some people who become infected with COVID-19 may experience long-term symptoms, even after they recover from their initial infection. This is sometimes called post COVID-19 condition or long COVID.
Studies are underway to further understand what causes post COVID-19 condition and how to diagnose and treat it.
Learn more about:
- Post COVID-19 condition, long COVID
People who are at risk of more severe disease or outcomes
You may be at risk of more severe disease or outcomes from COVID-19 if you:
- are an older adult (increasing risk with each decade, especially over 60 years)
- are pregnant
- have Down syndrome
- haven't received all of your recommended COVID-19 vaccine doses
- have a chronic medical condition
- are immunocompromised
- live with obesity (if you have a body mass index [BMI] of 40 or more)
If so, it's even more important that you reduce your risk of exposure to the virus. This means you should use all individual public health measures and continue to:
- maximize your physical distance from people outside of your immediate household
- you can do this by avoiding getting physically close to or having direct physical contact with others
- avoid or limit the amount of time spent in closed spaces and crowded places
Learn more about:
- COVID-19: What to do if you're at risk of more severe disease or outcomes
- COVID-19: Pregnancy, childbirth and caring for a newborn
Stay at home when you're sick
Stay home and limit your contact with others when you're sick or experiencing any COVID-like symptoms, even if mild. This will help prevent others in your community from getting sick.
If you have to share spaces with others, even while at home, use individual public health measures, such as:
- wearing the best quality and best fitting respirator or mask available to you
- those you're sharing a space with should also wear the best quality and best fitting respirator or mask available to them
- keeping the space well ventilated
Rapid tests may be used to quickly identify if you have COVID-19, and isolate if the result is positive.Follow your local public health authority's testing directions.
Learn more about:
- COVID-19 symptoms
- COVID-19: Improving indoor ventilation
- COVID-19: What to do if you or someone in your home is sick
- COVID-19 mask use: Types of masks and respirators
- Testing for COVID-19: When to get tested and testing results
Wear a well-fitting respirator or mask
Properly wearing a well-constructed, well-fitting respirator or mask can help:
- contain your respiratory particles
- prevent or reduce respiratory particles you inhale
We recommend that you wear a mask in public indoor settings. You should feel free to wear a mask even if it's not required in your community or setting.
It's especially important to wear a mask if you're:
- at risk of more severe disease or outcomes
- around others who are at risk of more severe disease or outcomes
- visiting a group living setting
- in a crowded or poorly ventilated setting
Choose the best quality and best fitting respirator or mask available to you.
Learn more about:
- COVID-19 mask use: Advice for community settings
- COVID-19 mask use: Types of masks and respirators
- COVID-19: People at risk of more severe disease or outcomes
Improve indoor ventilation
Good ventilation exchanges indoor air for outdoor air. This helps reduce the buildup of potentially infectious respiratory particles in the air indoors. Opening windows or doors if possible, even for a few minutes at a time, can improve ventilation.
Learn more about:
- COVID-19: Improving indoor ventilation
- Ventilation helps protect against the spread of COVID-19 (printable poster)
Practise respiratory etiquette and hand hygiene
Respiratory etiquette means, when coughing or sneezing, you should:
- cough or sneeze into a tissue or the bend of your arm, not your hand, if you're not wearing a mask
- throw any tissues you've used into a plastic-lined waste container as soon as possible
- clean your hands immediately afterwards
Hand hygiene means washing your hands regularly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water aren't available, use a hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol. For example, clean your hands:
- before and after touching a mask
- before touching your eyes, nose or mouth
- after using the washroom
- after touching frequently touched surfaces and objects
- after coughing or sneezing
- before and after eating or handling food
Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands.
Learn more about:
- Reduce the spread of COVID-19: Wash your hands video
- How to wash your hands properly to reduce the spread of COVID-19 (printable poster)
- Hand sanitizers approved by Health Canada
Clean and disinfect surfaces and objects
Surfaces and objects are more likely to become contaminated with COVID-19 the more often they're touched. Cleaning and disinfecting them can inactivate the virus, making it no longer infectious.
Learn more about:
- COVID-19: Cleaning and disinfecting
- COVID-19: Cleaning products and bleach
- Hard-surface disinfectants and hand sanitizers
Community-based public health measures
Recommendations and practices may vary for some settings as governments and public health authorities adjust community-based public health measures. If you operate a non-health care community setting that the public can access, you should:
- continue to assess the risks
- put in place measures to reduce the risk of COVID-19 spreading within a setting
These settings may include:
- event venues
- places of worship
- recreational facilities, like:
- parks
- gyms
- sports facilities
- business and retail settings
- schools, day cares and summer camps
- workplaces, including essential retailers
- organizations that serve people who are experiencing homelessness
Always follow and respect the measures a specific setting has put in place.
Learn more about:
- COVID-19 and Indigenous communities
- Reducing COVID-19 risk in community settings: A tool for operators
- COVID-19: Guidance documents
Group living settings
Businesses and workplaces
- Reducing COVID-19 risk in community settings: A tool for operators
- Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety
- How businesses and employees can stay safe while operating during COVID-19
- Considerations for employers, workers, customers and participants of daycares
Related links
- EI sickness benefits
- COVID-19: Travel, testing and borders
- Public health measures: Videos, factsheets and infographics (multilingual products available)
- COVID-19: Social media and promotional resources for Health Canada and Public Health Agency of Canada
