Symptoms
As described by the CDC, people with COVID-19 can exhibit a wide range of symptoms that can vary widely in severity. Symptoms can include fever, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, and diarrhea.
Symptoms commonly appear within 2-5 days after exposure to the virus. In general, symptoms tend to be less severe in those who have recently been ‘boosted.’
As symptoms change, faculty, staff, and postdocs may re-submit Health Check for updates to recommended guidelines. Please also take the following actions:
Covid test. We recommend completing a COVID test. If you test positive during this time, you are required to submit the result via Health Check. Please refer to this webpage for information on obtaining rapid antigen tests. If you have any questions regarding testing or would like to receive guidance on accessing PCR testing, please submit a help ticket.
Wear a high-quality (KN95, N95) face mask. If you test negative for COVID and feel able to work as your symptoms improve, you should wear a face mask on Stanford campuses for at least 10 days from when symptoms began. Please note that there are a number of infectious respiratory viruses actively circulating, including influenza and RSV, and our goal is also to minimize the spread of non-COVID illness.
Contact your personal physician for health care. We strongly encourage you to contact your physician with any questions about diagnosis, medical evaluation, and treatment. If you have urgent or critical medical needs, please visit your nearest emergency department. Signs you should seek emergency medical attention, or call 9-11, include:
- Trouble breathing
- Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
- New confusion
- Inability to wake or stay awake
- Pale, gray, or blue-colored skin, lips, or nail beds, depending on skin tone
The CDC defines a close contact as someone who was within 6 feet of an individual who tested positive for COVID, masked or unmasked, during their infectivity period, for 15 minutes or more in a 24-hour period.
Per CDC guidance, please tell your close contacts that you have tested positive. Please refer to this CDC resource on How To Talk To Your Close Contacts*.
In alignment with Santa Clara County guidance, close contacts who are asymptomatic are no longer required to quarantine, regardless of vaccination status.
Stanford asks faculty, staff, and postdocs who meet the definition of a close contact to please take the following actions:
- COVID test. If you have no symptoms, you can rapid test on day 5 after your close-contact exposure.
- If you have questionable or allergy-type symptoms, we recommend completing a rapid COVID test immediately and, if negative, again on days 3, 4, and 5 after your close-contact exposure. If you test positive during this time, you are required to submit the result via Health Check.
- If you develop obvious symptoms following your exposure, please complete a Health Check and remain off-site, as symptoms following a close-contact exposure would be presumed to be COVID until proven otherwise.
- Wear a high-quality (KN95, N95) face mask. Following exposure, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) strongly recommends wearing a well-fitting mask around others for 10 days, especially in indoor settings and when near those at higher risk for severe COVID-19 disease.
If you have questions about the Health Check guidance, please submit a help ticket.
*Please note this page is no longer being updated by the CDC, but we are providing an old copy for your convenience
A household exposure is when someone you live with (i.e., a roommate, significant other/intimate partner/child) tests positive for COVID.
In alignment with Santa Clara County guidance, close contacts who are asymptomatic are no longer required to quarantine, regardless of vaccination status.
Stanford asks faculty, staff, and postdocs who meet the definition of a household exposure to please take the following actions:
- COVID test. We recommend completing a COVID- test today and, if negative, every day prior to coming to work ANY Stanford campus, until 5 days have passed since your last household exposure. If you test positive during this time, you are required to submit the result via Health Check.
- If you develop symptoms following your exposure, please complete HealthCheck and remain off-site, as symptoms following a high-risk or household exposure would be presumed to be COVID, until proven otherwise.
- Wear a high-quality (KN95, N95) face mask. You must wear a face mask on Stanford campuses for at least 10 days from your last close-contact exposure.
If you have questions on the Health Check guidance, please submit a help ticket.
If you feel healthy enough to work, and are concerned about your COVID-like symptoms or exposure status, please work with your supervisor to determine whether you are able to work remotely.
If you are not feeling healthy enough to work, please contact your supervisor and follow your normal protocols for outages due to illness.
If you have any questions about leave, please contact your local Human Resources representative.
For questions related to Stanford’s response to COVID-19 or other health concerns, please fill out this EH&S Health Guidance form.
