Treating COVID-19
If you or a loved one are sick with COVID-19, any treatments used should be prescribed by your healthcare provider.
Are Monoclonal Antibodies a Treatment Option for Me?
COVID-19 symptoms can range from mild to severe. Americans continue to fall ill with the disease and many recommended treatments are not yet widely understood. Take this quiz to help determine if it makes sense to consider a specific outpatient treatment for COVID-19.
Are you 12 years of age or older?
Please confirm age.
Treatment options vary by age.
Are you at high risk for severe illness from COVID-19?
Please indicate high risk.
Some examples of individuals at high-risk for severe disease include if you are over the age of 65 years, or if you have one of the following conditions: chronic lung, heart or kidney disease, are pregnant, are immunocompromised or are overweight or obese.
Have you tested positive for COVID-19?
Please indicate case of positive test result.
If you have symptoms of respiratory illness, it is important to get tested so you and your healthcare provider can determine the best course of action.
Are you currently hospitalized for COVID-19?
Please indicate hospitalization due to COVID-19.
There are different recommended treatments depending on if you have been hospitalized or are treating your symptoms at home.
Has it been 10 days or less since you began having symptoms of COVID-19?
Please indicate applicable timing of symptoms.
Specific treatment may be available if given within 10 days of symptom onset.
Results
- You are 12 years of age or older.
- You are at high risk for severe illness.
- You will need a positive COVID-19 viral test to seek this treatment.
- You have not been hospitalized for COVID-19.
- You tested positive for COVID-19 and began having symptoms within the past 10 days.
- Monoclonal antibodies are not recommended for children 11 years and younger.
- Monoclonal antibodies are not recommended if you are not high risk for severe illness.
- You will need a positive COVID-19 viral test to seek this treatment.
- Different treatment options are recommended once you have been hospitalized with severe illness.
- It has been more than 10 days since you began having symptoms.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regularly updates treatment recommendations based on the expert panel at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) who have developed and regularly update the NIH COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines.
Supportive care is given for mild to severe symptoms. Supportive care means treating the symptoms while the disease runs its course.
How Antivirals Treat Respiratory Viruses
Recovery
While there is still much to learn about recovering from COVID-19, experience with other types of lung infections provides medical experts with some idea of what you may expect. Your path to recovery will be unique, depending on your overall health, the treatment provided and any co-existing conditions such as COPD, asthma or another chronic lung disease.
Depending on your experience with COVID-19, the following complications may have occurred and may require additional support and recovery.
- COVID Pneumonia, a viral infection that generally occurs in both lungs and can be life threatening. As the lungs are infected and inflamed the air sacs fill with fluid, oxygen exchange becomes more challenging and results in breathing difficulties.
- Lung abscesses, which are infrequent, but serious complications of pneumonia. They occur when pockets of pus form inside or around the lung. These may sometimes need to be drained with surgery.
- Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), a severe form of respiratory failure.
- Long COVID, new or persistent symptoms occurring at least four weeks after initial infection. Join our Living with Long COVID online support community.
Reviewed and approved by the American Lung Association Scientific and Medical Editorial Review Panel.
Page last updated: May 25, 2022