Alberta Health Services
Health Information
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a respiratory illness caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Most people who get sick with COVID-19 can manage their symptoms at home and get better without special treatment. However, some people can get very sick and need medical attention.
Learn more about COVID-19.
COVID-19 spreads through droplets when a person with the virus breathes, coughs, sneezes, or talks. These droplets can be breathed in or land on your eyes, nose, or mouth. Droplets can also land on objects or surfaces that you touch.
COVID-19 is a respiratory illness that affects the lungs and airways. In some cases, it can cause problems with other organs or other parts of the body. The symptoms are not the same for everyone and could depend on your age and the COVID-19 variant. Symptoms can include:
Headache, fatigue (feeling very tired), and joint or muscle pain are also common symptoms of COVID-19. Many of these symptoms can also be caused by other viruses.
If you have any of these symptoms, you should stay home and away from others. Learn what to do if you have symptoms of respiratory illness.
Other symptoms can include:
If you have any of the other symptoms, stay home and away from others until your symptoms go away.
The AHS respiratory assessment testing tool can help you to:
Most people recover from COVID-19 without special treatment and can manage their symptoms at home. You can do these things to feel better:
Visit managing symptoms at home to learn more.
Learn about the treatments available for COVID-19.
If you are caring for someone who has COVID-19 in your home, find out about limiting contact, protecting yourself, keeping your home area clean, and monitoring for symptoms. Learn about how to care for someone with COVID-19 at home.
Recovering from COVID-19 is different for everyone, no matter your age, your health before you had COVID-19, or how sick you were with the virus.
Most people feel better in a few weeks. But some people have physical symptoms and mental health concerns that last for weeks or months after they no longer have COVID-19.
Learn more about long COVID and get information to help you recover.
The best thing you can do to protect yourself and your community is to get immunized with a COVID-19 vaccine. It’s the best protection against COVID-19 and the safest and most effective way to protect against getting very sick.
COVID-19 vaccines are very effective at preventing people from getting infected and getting very sick. Everyone in Alberta who is ages 6 months and older is recommended to get a COVID-19 vaccine.
This fun game provides children the opportunity to defend their health and those around them by understanding the importance of protecting themselves against COVID-19.
In Alberta, you are not required to wear a mask in most public spaces. Go to COVID-19 info for Albertans for the most up-to-date information.
If you are travelling outside of Canada or returning to Canada after travelling, see the Government of Canada information on COVID-19, travel, and testing.
