At greater risk of requiring hospitalization or dying if diagnosed with COVID-19

• Risk for severe illness with COVID-19 increases with age, with older adults at highest risk.
• Certain medical conditions can also increase risk for severe illness.
• People at increased risk, and those who live or visit with them, need to take precautions to protect themselves from getting COVID-19.

People in their 50s are at higher risk for severe illness than people in their 40s. Similarly, people in their 60s or 70s are, in general, at higher risk for severe illness than people in their 50s. The greatest risk for severe illness from COVID-19 is among those aged 85 or older.

Severe illness means that a person with COVID-19 may require:

• hospitalization,
• intensive care, or a
• ventilator to help them breathe, or
• they may even die.

Older adults are at greater risk of requiring hospitalization or dying if they are diagnosed with COVID-19. As you get older, your risk of being hospitalized for COVID-19 increases.

Other factors can also increase your risk for severe illness, such as having certain underlying medical conditions. By understanding the factors that put you at an increased risk, you can make decisions about what kind of precautions to take in your daily life.

If you have an underlying medical condition, you should continue to follow your treatment plan:

• Continue your medicines and do not change your treatment plan without talking to your healthcare provider.
• Have at least a 30-day supply of prescription and non-prescription medicines. Talk to a healthcare provider, insurer, and pharmacist about getting an extra supply (i.e., more than 30 days) of prescription medicines, if possible, to reduce your trips to the pharmacy.
• Do not delay getting emergency medical care because of COVID-19. Emergency departments have contingency infection prevention plans to protect you from getting COVID-19 if you need care.
• Call your healthcare provider if you have any concerns about your underlying medical conditions or if you get sick and think that you may have COVID-19. If you need emergency help call right away.

Everyone, especially older adults and others at increased risk of severe illness, should take steps to protect themselves from getting COVID-19.

The best way to protect yourself and to help reduce the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19 is to:

• Wear a mask, when you interact with others.
• Limit your in-person interactions with other people as much as possible, particularly when indoors.
• Keep space between yourself and others (stay 6 feet away, which is about 2 arm lengths).
• Wash your hands often. If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or the inside of your elbow. Then wash your hands.
• Clean and disinfect surfaces and things you touch often.