The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently released new guidance and updated recommendations for how people and communities can protect themselves from respiratory viruses, including COVID-19.

When people get sick with a respiratory virus, the updated guidance recommends that they stay home and away from others. The recommendations suggest returning to normal activities if your symptoms are getting better overall and you have not had a fever for 24 hours and are not using fever-reducing medication.

Once people resume normal activities, they are encouraged to take additional prevention strategies for the next five days to curb disease spread, such as wearing a well-fitting mask, keeping a distance from others and/or getting tested for respiratory viruses.

The CDC also recommended adults ages 65 years and over receive an additional updated 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccine dose, which can provide additional protection to older adults, who are at the highest risk of severe illness due to COVID-19.

Data continues to show the importance of vaccination to protect those most at risk for severe outcomes of COVID-19. An additional dose of the updated vaccine may restore protection that has waned since a fall vaccine dose.

Visit the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment’s walk-in immunization clinics in Olathe and Mission to get the updated vaccine or vaccines.gov to find a vaccine near you.