Close Alert Banner
Close Old Browser Notification
Browser Compatibility Notification
It appears you are trying to access this site using an outdated browser. As a result, parts of the site may not function properly for you. We recommend updating your browser to its most recent version at your earliest convenience.
Skip to Content
Region of Durham Logo
Contact Us
Engage
  • Living Here
    • 311 – Connecting you to our services
    • A to Z Services
    • Accessibility
    • Age-Friendly Durham
    • Animal Services and Control
    • Climate, Energy and Resilience
    • Conservation Authorities
    • Counselling
    • Crime Prevention and Public Safety
    • Early Learning and Child Care
    • Education and Schools
    • Emergency Preparedness
    • Emergency Services
    • Emergency Social Services
    • Food Banks
    • Housing and Homelessness
    • Libraries
    • Living with Low-Income
    • Long Term Care and Adult Day Programs
    • View More...
    View our Garbage and Recycling page

    Garbage and Recycling

    View our My Property page

    My Property

    View our Roads and Traffic page

    Roads and Traffic

  • Discovering Durham
    • About Durham Region
    • Arts and Culture
    • Bike Month
    • Cycling and Walking
    • E-mobility
    • Local Food and Farmers' Markets
    • Maps
    • New to Durham Region
    • Parks, Trails and Conservation Areas
    • Spectator Sports
    • Sport Tourism
    • Sports and Recreation
    • Tourism
    • Tourism Festival and Events Calendar
    • Transportation and Transit
    View our Tourism page

    Tourism

    View our Tourism Festival and Events calendar

    Tourism Festival and Events Calendar

    View our Transportation and Transit page

    Transportation and Transit

  • Doing Business
    • Applications, Licences and Permits
    • As-Built Drawing Request
    • Bid Opportunities
    • Business Directory
    • Business Count
    • Community Social Investment Framework
    • Construction and Your Business
    • Construction Liens
    • Design and Construction Specifications
    • Economic Development
    • Events
    • Garbage and Recycling Collection on Private Property
    • Housing
    • Municipal Consent
    • Operating a Child Care Centre
    • Planning and Development
    • Public Health Inspections for Businesses
    • Purchasing
    • Project Reports, Studies and Plans
    View our Agriculture page

    Agriculture

    View our Business Directory page

    Business Directory

    View our Purchasing page

    Purchasing

  • Health and Wellness
    • Alcohol, Cannabis, Drugs and Smoking
    • Babies and Toddlers
    • Child Health and School-Age Children
    • Clinics and Classes Calendar
    • COVID-19 Update
    • Domestic Violence
    • Dental and Oral Health
    • Environment and Your Health
    • Health Care Professionals
    • Health Check-Up, Performance Reports and Health Plans
    • Health Information Services
    • Healthy Living
    • Illness, Infection and Disease
    • Immunizations and Vaccines
    • Injury Prevention and Safety
    • Mental Health
    • MPOX
    • Pregnancy
    • Public Health Inspections and Investigations
    • View More...
    Launch the Durham Region COVID-19 Data Tracker

    COVID-19 Data Tracker

    View our Health Care Professionals page

    Health Care Professionals

    View our Report Immunizations Online page

    Report Immunizations Online

  • Regional Government
    • A to Z Services
    • Access to Information
    • Accountability and Transparency
    • Awards
    • Bill 23
    • Budget and Financial
    • By-Laws
    • Careers and Volunteering
    • CityStudio Durham
    • Community Engagement
    • Community Safety and Well-Being Plan
    • Contact Us
    • Court and Traffic Tickets (Provincial Offences)
    • COVID-19 Information and Resources
    • COVID-19 Recovery Framework and Action Plan
    • Departments
    • Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
    • Durham Region 101
    • Durham Region Strategic Plan
    • View More...
    View our Council page

    Council

    View our Open Data page

    Open Data

    View our Regional Services map

    Regional Services

I'd Like To...

Apply or Register For

  • Applications, Licences and Permits
  • Bidding Opportunities
  • Careers and Volunteering
  • Freedom of Information Request
  • Housing

Learn About

  • A to Z Services
  • Being New to Durham Region
  • Budget
  • By-Laws
  • Council
  • Durham Region Transit
  • Public Health Inspections

Report an Issue

  • By-Law Infraction
  • Downed Sign
  • Health Protection Complaint
  • Illegal Dumping
  • Missed Garbage or Recycling Pickup
View our Twitter Page View our Facebook Page View our YouTube Page view our LinkedIn page

COVID-19 case and contact management

COVID-19 Case and Contact Information Hub

HomeHealth and WellnessCOVID-19 UpdateCOVID-19 Case and Contact Information Hub
Decrease text size Default text size Increase text size
Print this page
Share this page
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Email
  • COVID-19 Update
    • Case Status in Durham Region
    • COVID-19 Case and Contact Information Hub
    • COVID-19 Guidance and Advice for Businesses and Organizations
    • COVID-19 Testing
    • COVID-19 Vaccines
    • Facts and Frequently Asked Questions
    • Health Care Professionals
    • Institutional Outbreaks
    • Masks
    • Mental Health
    • Resources
    • Schools Reopening Toolkit
  • Alcohol, Cannabis, Drugs and Smoking
    • Alcohol
    • Cannabis
    • Opioids and Overdose Prevention
      • Durham Opioid Response Plan
      • Durham Region Opioid Information System
    • Safe Needle Disposal
    • Tobacco and Vaping
  • Babies and Toddlers
    • Babies with Developmental Concerns
    • Baby's First Year
    • Breastfeeding and Newborn Care Online Classes and Videos
    • Bringing Baby Home
    • Car Seat Safety and Booster Seats
    • Crib Safety
    • Feeding Your Baby
    • Flat-head Syndrome
    • Infant Crying
    • Infant Sleep and Sleep Habits
    • Parenting Your Child and Positive Parenting
    • Perinatal Mood Disorders
    • Shaken Baby Syndrome
  • Child Health and School-Age Children
    • Bullying
    • Car Seat Safety and Booster Seats
    • Child Care and Early Learning
    • Child Development
    • Child Immunization and School Clinics
    • Picky Eaters
  • Clinics and Classes Calendar
  • Domestic Violence
  • Dental and Oral Health
    • Brushing and Flossing
    • Fluoride
    • Oral Cancer
    • School Screening Dental Clinics
    • Snacking
  • Environment and Your Health
    • Air Quality
    • Extreme Cold
    • Extreme Heat and Humidity
    • Flooding
    • Harmful Plants
    • Nuclear Awareness
    • Private Wells
    • Sewage and Septic Systems
    • Sun Safety and Tanning
  • Health Care Professionals
  • Health Check-Up, Performance Reports and Health Plans
    • 2021 Health Check-Up!
    • 2020 Health Check-Up!
    • 2019 Health Check-Up!
    • 2022 Health Plan
    • 2021 Health Plan
    • 2020 Health Plan
    • 2019 Health Plan
  • Health Information Services
    • Durham Health Stats
    • Health Care
    • Health Neighbourhoods
    • Information Practices / Client Safety / Customer Service Standards
    • Outbreaks, Recalls, Advisories and Alerts
    • Public Access to Defibrillators
  • Healthy Living
    • Healthy Aging
    • Healthy Communities
    • Healthy Eating
    • Healthy Routines
    • Food Poverty
    • Infection Prevention
    • Low Cost and Subsidized Recreation Programs
    • Physical Activity
  • Illness, Infection and Disease
    • Facts About...
    • Food Poisoning
    • Infection Control in Institutions
    • Influenza (Flu)
    • Insects, Rodents and Bites
    • Legionella
    • Lyme Disease
    • Meningitis
    • MPOX
      • Information for Health Care Professionals
    • Rabies
    • Reportable Diseases
    • Tuberculosis (TB)
    • West Nile Virus
  • Immunizations and Vaccines
    • Adult Immunization
    • Child Immunization and School Clinics
    • Influenza (Flu)
    • Travel Health
    • Vaccine Safety
  • Injury Prevention and Safety
    • Bike Safety
    • Car Seat Safety and Booster Seats
    • Child Safety
    • Falls
    • Healthy Aging
    • Off-roading Safety
    • Playgrounds
    • Preventing Concussions
    • Road and Traffic Safety
  • Mental Health
    • Counselling
    • Perinatal Mood Disorders
    • Suicide Prevention
  • MPOX
  • Pregnancy
    • Alcohol in Pregnancy
    • Car Seat Safety and Booster Seats
    • Infections in Pregnancy
    • Online Prenatal Classes
    • Perinatal Mood Disorders
    • Planning for Pregnancy
    • Pregnancy Options
    • Preterm Labour and Birth
    • Substance Use in Pregnancy
  • Public Health Inspections and Investigations
    • Beaches
    • Check&GO! Durham
    • Food Safety
    • Food Safety Training
    • Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) Lapse Reports
    • International Agricultural Worker Housing Inspections
    • Know Your Public Health Inspector
    • Operating a Child Care Centre
    • Playgrounds
    • Public Health Inspections for Businesses
    • Rabies
    • Recreational Water
    • Salons and Spas
    • Sewage and Septic Systems
    • Small Drinking Water Systems
    • Smoking, Vaping and Retailer Convictions
    • Submit a Complaint or Concern
    • Tattoos and Piercings
  • School Health
    • Educators
    • Parents
    • School-Based Public Health Clinics
    • Schools Reopening Toolkit
  • Sexual Health and Clinics
    • 2SLGBTQI+
    • Birth Control
    • Pregnancy Options
    • SEXed Manual for Educators
    • Sexual Health Decisions
    • Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)

Please select one of the options below to get COVID-19 isolation and testing information that is relevant to you.

COVID-19 vaccine icon
I need COVID-19 vaccine information
Office building icon
COVID-19 in the workplace
Test icon
I have symptoms or a positive test result
School icon
Schools and child care centres
Sick icon
What are the COVID-19 symptoms
Multilingual icon
Multilingual COVID-19 resources
Group contact icon
I am a contact of a COVID-19 case
Question mark icon
Other COVID-19 questions

I have COVID-19 symptoms and/or a positive test result. What should I do now?

Individuals who have COVID-19 symptoms OR who have tested positive for COVID-19 on PCR, rapid molecular or rapid antigen should self-isolate immediately and stay at home until fever is resolved and symptoms have been improving for at least 24 hours (48 hours for gastrointestinal symptoms). Longer self-isolation is recommended in certain populations. Individuals who are asymptomatic and tested positive are not required to isolate. See table below for more information.

Isolation period for test-positive cases and individuals with COVID-19 symptoms
PopulationIsolation periodAdditional precautions after self-isolation period
Individuals with severe illness (requiring ICU level of care) At least 20 days after the date of specimen collection or symptom onset (whichever is earlier/applicable) and until symptoms have been improving for 24 hours (or 48 hours if gastrointestinal symptoms) and no fever present

No additional precautions

Individuals who are

  • Residing in a highest-risk setting
  • Hospitalized for COVID-19 related illness (not requiring ICU level of care)
  • Immunocompromised 

At least 10 days after the date of specimen collection or symptom onset (whichever is earlier/applicable) and until symptoms have been improving for 24 hours (or 48 hours if gastrointestinal symptoms) and no fever present.

 

Setting-specific guidance prevails for case isolation in highest-risk setting.

No additional precautions

All other individuals not listed above who have COVID-19 symptoms OR a positive COVID-19 test (PCR, rapid molecular, or rapid antigen) 

Until symptoms have been improving for 24 hours (or 48 hours if gastrointestinal symptoms) and no fever present

Asymptomatic individuals with a positive test result do not need to self-isolate unless symptoms develop. If symptoms develop, they should self-isolate immediately

For a total of 10 days after date of specimen collection or symptom onset, individuals should:

  • Continue to wear a well-fitted mask in all public settings (including schools and childcare, unless under 2 years old) and avoid non-essential activities where mask removal is necessary (e.g., dining out, playing a wind instrument, high contact sports where masks cannot be safely worn)
  • Not visit anyone who is immunocompromised or at higher risk of illness (e.g., seniors)
  • Avoid non-essential visits to highest-risk setting such as hospitals and long-term care homes
What should I tell my close contacts including household members?

If you have symptoms and/or tested positive for COVID-19, you should inform your close contacts of their potential exposure.

  • This includes those who had contact with you within the 48 hours prior to your symptom onset or specimen collection (whichever is earlier) and until you started self-isolating AND;
  • Were in close proximity (less than 2 meters) for at least 15 minutes or for multiple short periods of time without appropriate measures such as masking, distancing and/or use of personal protective equipment.

Close contacts including household members of individuals who are symptomatic and/or tested positive should refer to Public Health Ontario’s (PHO) fact sheet Self-Isolation: Guide for caregivers, family members and close contacts. All close contacts including household members should also visit Ontario.ca/exposed for information about self-isolation and self-monitoring requirements.

*Highest risk settings include:

  • Acute care settings such as hospitals, including complex continuing care facilities
  • Congregate living settings with medically and socially vulnerable individuals, including but not limited to long-term care homes, retirement homes, First Nation elder care lodges, group homes, shelters, hospices, correctional institutions, and hospital schools
  • Employer-provided living settings of International Agricultural Workers

What if I have symptoms and/or tested positive for COVID-19 and I work in a "highest risk setting"?

If you are symptomatic and/or tested positive and you work in a highest risk setting you should speak with your employer and follow their workplace guidance for return to work. 

For routine operations, you may return to work in highest risk settings 10 days from symptom onset or date of specimen collection (whichever is earlier) AND provided you have no fever and other symptoms have been improving for 24 hours (or 48 hours if gastrointestinal symptoms).

Testing for clearance is not recommended.

Your local public health unit or the provincial case and contact management staff may follow-up with you for contact management in your workplace. For the length of time of your isolation period, see “I have COVID-19 symptoms and/or received a positive COVID-19 test result”. 

See highest-risk settings.

What if I have symptoms and/or tested positive for COVID-19 and I live in a "highest risk setting"?

If you are symptomatic and/or tested positive and you live in a highest risk setting you should isolate for at least 10 days after the date of speciment collection or symptom onset (whichever is earlier/ applicable) and until symptoms have been improving for 24 hours (or 48 hours if gastrointestinal symptoms) and no fever present.

See highest-risk settings.

What are the COVID-19 symptoms?

If you have the symptoms listed below, it is highly likely that you have a COVID-19 infection. If you are not eligible for PCR/Rapid molecular testing you are presumed to have COVID-19 infection and are advised to self-isolate as soon as possible after symptom onset. For more information on testing eligibility visit our COVID-19 Testing page.

See isolation period for test-positive cases and individuals with COVID-19 symptoms.

What are the symptoms of COVID-19?

The symptoms* of COVID-19 include:

  • Fever and/or chills
  • Cough
  • Shortness of breath
  • Decrease or loss of taste or smell
  • Extreme fatigue 
  • Muscle aches or joint pain
  • Gastrointestinal symptoms (i.e., nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhea)
  • Sore throat (painful swallowing or difficulty swallowing)
  • Runny nose or nasal congestion
  • Headache
  • Abdominal pain
  • Conjunctivitis (pink eye)
  • Decreased or lack of appetite

*Symptoms should not be related to any other known causes or conditions.

Individuals with any of the above symptoms are recommended to self-isolate and stay at home until fever is resolved and their symptoms have been improving for at least 24 hours (48 hours for gastrointestinal symptoms). Longer self-isolation is recommended in certain populations; see “I have COVID-19 symptoms and/or received a positive COVID-19 test result” for more information. 

Should I get tested if I am symptomatic?

Most individuals do not need a COVID-19 test. If you are eligible for testing, get a PCR, rapid molecular test or rapid antigen test (if you have access). If testing is not available, you must fulfill the self-isolation period for symptomatic individuals. For more information about testing visit our testing page. 

Is there treatment for COVID-19?

Several types of treatment have been developed for COVID-19. Some of these medications reduce or stop the virus from multiplying in human cells. Other medications treat the symptoms of COVID-19. Medication can be prescribed by a health care provider after an assessment to determine that an individual meets the criteria for the specific treatment.

To book a physician assessment visit COVID19swab.lh.ca.

What should I do if my symptoms worsen?

If your symptoms worsen, seek advice from Telehealth at 1-866-797-0000 or TTY:1-866-797-0007 or your health care provider.

What should I do if my rapid antigen test (RAT) is negative?

A single negative rapid antigen test in an individual with COVID-19 symptoms does not rule out a COVID-19 infection. If two consecutive rapid antigen tests, separated by at least 24-48 hours, are both negative, you are less likely to have a COVID-19 infection. You should self-isolate until you have no fever and symptoms are improving for at least 24 hours (or 48 hours if gastrointestinal symptoms).

What should I do if my rapid antigen test (RAT) is positive?

Refer to "I have COVID-19 symptoms and/or a positive test results".

I am a contact of a COVID-19 case

A close contact is defined as an individual who has a high-risk exposure to an individual who has tested positive for COVID-19 (PCR, rapid molecular or rapid antigen) or to an individual with COVID-19 symptoms.

All close contacts should visit Ontario.ca/exposed for information about self-isolation and self-monitoring requirements.

COVID-19 in the workplace

This guidance does not apply to employees in the highest risk settings.

What if an employee has notified me that they have symptoms and/or tested positive for COVID-19?

If an employee has phoned in sick with symptoms and/or tested positive for COVID-19, advise the employee that they should follow isolation requirements outlined in “I have COVID-19 symptoms and/or received a positive COVID-19 test result”. 

Advise the employee to inform their close contacts including the employee’s co-workers, that they should visit Ontario.ca/exposed for information about self-isolation and self-monitoring requirements.

Workplace health and safety resources
  • Get information to help develop a plan to protect workers, customers, and the public from COVID-19
  • COVID-19 Guidance and Advice for Businesses and Organizations
  • Ontario.ca/exposed

Schools and child care centres

If my child is sick, when can they return to school/child care?
  • If your child has symptoms of COVID-19, refer to the section “I have COVID-19 symptoms and/or received a positive COVID-19 test result”.
  • Your child can return to school/child care when the required isolation period is complete and symptoms have been improving for at least 24 hours (48 hours if symptoms are gastrointestinal)

For additional information related to schools, visit our Schools Reopening Toolkit.


Multilingual COVID-19 resources
If you would like to see COVID-19 resources in another language, please visit Public Health Ontario’s Multilingual COVID-19 Resources page.
Other COVID-19 questions
The Section 22 Class orders were revoked. What does that mean for me?
The requirements for self-isolation have not changed. If you have symptoms of COVID-19, have tested positive for COVID-19 or are a close contact of someone with COVID-19, you must adhere to self-isolation requirements as outlined in the Ministry of Health Guidance which is enforceable.
Does the Health Department provide letters to verify isolation dates?
At this time, Durham Region Health Department is unable to provide isolation letters. 
What is the "virtual assistant"?
The "virtual assistant" is a voluntary survey that is sent by text message to your cell phone when you are positive for COVID-19. The survey allows you to enter information that is important to Public Health for contact tracing. Completing the survey is optional for clients. You can opt out of receiving text from the virtual assistant at any time.
Where can I find more information about travel?
For questions related to travel visit the Government of Canada website. 

If you could not find the information you were looking for on this page related to COVID-19 case and contact information, please see our Facts and FAQs page. If you still cannot find an answer to your question, you can contact us.

Receive email updates

Contact Us

Region of Durham logo

Living HereDiscovering DurhamDoing BusinessHealth and WellnessRegional Government

© 2023 Durham Region, 605 Rossland Road East, Whitby, Ontario L1N 6A3, Canada, Telephone (within regional limits): 311, Telephone: 905-668-7711, Toll-Free: 1-800-372-1102

HomeTerms of Use and Privacy StatementAccessibilityAccess to InformationCareersA to Z ServicesContact Us
By GHD Digital