Staying Safe and Healthy: BC Information and Resources
December 29, 2021 | British Columbia
Keeping safe and healthy during the pandemic and adhering to local and provincial public health guidelines is critical.
Below is BC-specific information and tools to know what to do if you have COVID-19 or have come into close contact with someone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19.
If You Have COVID-19
If you have tested positive for COVID-19 or have been told you have COVID-19, learn how to take care of yourself, self-isolate and notify your close contacts.
COVID-19 affects different people in different ways. Most infected people will develop mild to moderate illness and recover without hospitalization.
Most common symptoms:
- fever
- cough
- tiredness
- loss of taste or smell
Less common symptoms:
- sore throat
- headache
- aches and pains
- diarrhoea
- a rash on skin, or discolouration of fingers or toes
- red or irritated eyes
Serious symptoms:
- difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
- loss of speech or mobility, or confusion
- chest pain
Those Jamati members who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 or have come into close contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case or potential case should not attend Jamatkhana for 5 days.
More information can be found on the BC Centre for Disease Control website.
When you end isolation, you are not considered contagious. However, it can take longer to recover from the illness. Most people recover within two weeks. Some people with more severe symptoms can take up to twelve weeks or more to feel entirely better. If you are unsure or concerned, connect with your health care provider, call 811, or go to an Urgent and Primary Care Centre to be assessed. Additionally, you can call the confidental Jamati Access line.
More detailed information can be found in this BC CDC document: What to do after your COVID-19 test.
If You Have Come Into Close Contact With Someone With COVID-19
A close contact (as described below) is generally someone who has been near a person with COVID-19 for at least 15 minutes when health and safety measures were not in place or were insufficient.
If you have to notify your close contacts, consider who you were with and where you’ve been in the two days before you started having symptoms up until you started to self-isolate. If you have not had any symptoms and tested positive, consider who you were with and where you’ve been in the two days before your positive test.
Generally, you should notify:
- People you live or share a room with.
- People you had intimate contact with.
- People outside of your household (e.g. at a social gathering) who:
- you were face-to-face with for 15 minutes or more
- while you were indoors, and
- while you were not wearing a mask.
- People who may have been exposed to saliva or other bodily fluids, such as people with whom you shared items like a drink, personal hygiene item, cigarette/vape, lipstick, or eating utensils, as well as people who may have been coughed or sneezed on.
View the links below to learn how to reduce the spread of COVID-19:
- Close contacts and contact tracing
- What to do if you are in close contact of a person with COVID-19
- What to do if you have COVID-19 or are a close contact
- Mental Well-Being During COVID-19
Caring For Someone With COVID-19
When caring for someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, take steps to protect yourself from getting sick, monitor yourself for symptoms and learn when to get help for the person who is sick.
- A person who has tested positive for COVID-19 must self-isolate. Self-isolation times range from 5-10 days or longer if required by public health.
- If possible, the person who is sick should stay in their own room and use their own bathroom.
- Do not have visitors to the house when someone is self-isolating.
- Visit the self-isolation page for more details on how to self-isolate.
Please review the information below on caring for someone with COVID-19:
For more information of any of the above please reach out to the confidential Access line, Aga Khan Health Board or heath authorities for support and/or guidance.
What To Do After Your COVID-19 Test
If you have been tested for COVID-19 but have not yet received your test result, you must continue to self-isolate. The two documents below describe how to get your test result and what do do in case of a positive or negative result, including self-isolation guidelines and managing symptoms.
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