MASK UP MKE!
We're a small mask bloc distributing KN95 respirators to SE WI. Contact us at
[email protected] or reach out on social media.
(limit 10 per person, per request. please space out requests every two weeks)COVID-19 is still a pandemic!
Take precautions to protect your health and the health of your neighbor.This resource is a work in progress! If you see something that needs updating or correcting, let us know. Info here is not intended as medical advice.
EXPOSURE
Test for COVID if you are experiencing (or exposed to someone who is experiencing)...🤧 Cough
🤒 Sore throat
🤧 Runny nose, congestion
🤒 Fever
🤧 Shortness of breath, difficulty breathing
🤒 Loss of taste or smell
🤧 Headache, body aches
🤒 Fatigue
🤧 Vomiting, diarrhea
🤒 Rash, new skin changes
🤧 Sores in mouth, discoloration on tongue
🤒 Swollen, discolored toesIt's important to recognize when your illness may become severe, and get care immediately. Information on COVID19-related health emergencies is here. If you think you're having an emergency call 911.Symptoms of COVID may vary depending on the variant. Track what variants are dominant in WI here. More information on the COVID variants circulating globally/nationally by the CDC & covariants.At the first sign of illness, begin serial testing or seek a PCR test. You may not test positive for COVID until your fourth day of being sick, but you are still infectious. If you are able to, stay home when you're sick with anything!If you test negative, especially on a rapid test, continue testing five days after your exposure, or after symptoms develop. Rapid tests are particularly vulnerable to false negatives -- serial testing, or performing daily tests for multiple days after exposure, is the best way to ensure you're getting an accurate result from your tests!If you test positive and can't stay home, wear a well-fitting respirator in public spaces, keep distance from others, and consider letting people know you're COVID positive, so they can keep distance as well. Assume you're contagious for 14 days, or as long as you're symptomatic -- whichever is longer.Document your positive COVID test in some way. If you happen to develop long COVID, this can help you to more easily access appropriate treatments and accommodations.To help prevent exposures, stay up to date on COVID case rates and wastewater levels locally.
PREVENTION
Whenever possible when holding a social gathering, bring it outdoors or to well-ventilated areas
HEPA filters
Cori Rosenthal box
guide to flushing out indoor spaces here
wear a well-fitting* mask in public indoor spaces or crowded outdoor spaces (*instructions for fit testing here!)
mask in any setting where testing isn't done ahead of time and you don't know everyone's COVID positivity status
especially wear a mask when you are sick or recently exposed!
masks can be hard to obtain a steady supply of for a lot of people- reusing non-soiled K/N95s can help stretch your supply, just don't reuse ones that are wet or visibly dirty
when masks are offered, take them! Like many free services and programs, organizations often take note of how many people utilize them to determine whether to continue
any mask is better than no mask, but medical grade respirators are preferable to surgical masks or cloth masks. (up to 75x better!
If you wear a cloth mask it needs to be washed daily
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intro to covid-19
COVID-19 is a multisystemic illness caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. COVID-19 is spread person-to-person through aerosols and respiratory droplets. Once exposure occurs, symptoms can begin anywhere from 2 to 14 days later.The symptoms of COVID-19 can vary depending on your vaccination status, whether or not you have certain health conditions, as well as the variant you are exposed to. COVID-19 is unique to other respiratory viruses, as it's extremely contagious and can also be spread asymptomatically.Our state and federal governments are no longer aiding workers in avoiding infection at their jobs, children in avoiding infection in schools, and the medically vulnerable in avoiding infection in hospitals. In continuing to partake in COVID mitigation measures despite the lack of urgency on the part of our politicians, we practice community care and strengthen our solidarity in keeping each other safe.After your acute infection, consider discussing surveillance health monitoring with your primary care provider to prevent Long COVID from going unnoticed.Long COVID is an umbrella term for a wide variety of persisting symptoms or new conditions that can result from a SARS-CoV-2 infection.
testing
For exposures/symptoms: seek a PCR test OR serial test for 5 days.For surveillance testing before events: test 24-48hours prior to the event, and test daily for 3-5 days following the event. If symptomatic, or another attendee reports a positive COVID test, follow exposure protocols.Consider performing a combined swab from your throat and nares when taking a rapid test to improve accuracy.If you test negative, especially on a rapid test, continue testing five days after your exposure, or after symptoms develop. Rapid tests are particularly vulnerable to false negatives -- serial testing, or performing daily tests for multiple days after exposure, is the best way to ensure you're getting an accurate result from your tests! Alternatively, consider getting a PCR test.PCR TESTS:
😷 Walgreens
😷 CVS
😷 Hayat Pharm
😷 Summit Clinical Labs
😷 Carbon Health
😷 Quest Dxs
😷 North Shore PharmSearch 211 WI's website for COVID-related services near you.If you are uninsured, you may be eligible for cost coverage through the bridge access program.RAPID TESTS:
😷 USPS free test program *WILL BE ENDING
😷 Test2treatThe expiration date of some rapid tests have been extended. Check the link to see if yours are still viable!Like masks, it's important to take free tests whenever they're offered! This shows the gov't entity offering tests that people are enthusiastic about improving WI's COVID mitigations.
ADVOCACY & AWARENESS
A big part of keeping our community safe from COVID-19 is continuing to advocate for protections from it. This can look like contacting representatives to demand continued attention towards COVID, joining a clean air org or a mask bloc, or simply talking with the people around you about the present threat of COVID-19 and how it affects their lives, too.ADVOCACY ORGS:
😷 COVID Action Map
😷 COVID Advocacy Groups Directory
😷 Clean Air Lending Libraries
😷 Covid Safe Campus
😷 Marked By COVID
😷 Longhauler Advocacy Project
😷 The People's CDC
😷 World Health NetworkCOVID INFORMATION:
🦠 Milwaukee County COVID Dashboard
🔬 WI DHS wastewater & hospitalization data
🦠 CDC (USA) wastewater data
🔬 CDC (state) wastewater data
🦠 Biobot wastewater data
🔬 Walgreens COVID index
🦠 Worldometer data
🔬 CDC National Variant Proportions
🦠 CDC Trends in Hospitalizations & Deaths
🔬 CoVariants Variant Tracker
🦠 WI Genomic Dashboard
🔬 WHO COVID DashboardIn addition, staying up-to-date on the current state of COVID-19 is important, as is sharing that information with the people around you. It can be difficult or complicated to talk to our loved ones about COVID safety, but this resource may make it a bit easier. The better prepared we are for danger, the more likely we keep each other safe from it!