COVID-19 Assessment Tool

Are you completing this assessment for a child/youth*?

*Child/youth refers to individuals under 18, as well as individuals attending high school who are 18 or older.

Are you experiencing any of the following:

  • severe difficulty breathing (e.g., struggling for each breath, speaking in single words)
  • severe chest pain
  • having a very hard time waking up
  • feeling confused
  • lost consciousness

Are you experiencing any of the following symptoms:

  • fever or chills
  • runny or stuffy nose
  • sore throat
  • cough
  • difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
  • nausea or diarrhea
  • loss or altered sense of taste or smell

Have you recently received a positive result on an at-home COVID-19 rapid test?

Do any of these scenarios apply to you?

  • Age 60 years or older (50 years or older for persons who are First Nations, Métis or Inuit) and received fewer than three doses of COVID-19 vaccine
  • Living with a chronic medical condition.

    Chronic medical conditions:

    • Diabetes (taking medication for treatment)
    • Obesity (BMI >30)
    • Chronic heart disease (such as congestive heart failure)
    • Chronic kidney disease
    • Chronic lung disease (such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD])
    • Moderate-to-severe asthma
    • Individuals with immunosuppressive conditions (such as having a transplant, HIV/AIDS, receiving chemotherapy)
  • Pregnant
  • Living in long-term care or designated supportive living

Since the start of your symptoms, are you experiencing any of the following?

  • Fever: higher than 39 degrees for three days
  • Cough: return of cough after being cough free
  • Increasing shortness of breath or shortness of breath at rest
  • Inability to lie down because of difficulty breathing
  • Signs of dehydration such as: passing only a little urine, feeling very lightheaded
  • Chronic health conditions that you are having difficulty managing because of your current illness

Please call 911 or go directly to your nearest emergency department.

Take steps to protect yourself and others.

We encourage you to take the following everyday actions to prevent respiratory illness:

  • Stay home when feeling sick.
  • If possible, avoid close contact with people who are sick.
  • Wash hands frequently with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
  • Cover your cough.
  • Avoid touching eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.
  • Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces and items at home, especially when someone in your home is sick.
  • Using a well-fitting, high-quality mask is encouraged, especially in crowded indoor settings. Wearing a mask can help reduce your risk of becoming sick and help protect others from being exposed.

If you develop respiratory illness symptoms, stay home and take this assessment again. For information on managing symptoms at home, visit our self-care guide.

Take steps to protect yourself and others.

ACTION: You are recommended to stay home and away from other people.

If you continue to have no symptoms, stay home for 24 hours and then complete another COVID-19 rapid test.

  • If the second result is positive, monitor yourself closely for symptoms. For 10 days from the first positive test, we recommend that you wear a mask in indoor settings and avoid contact with those at high risk of severe outcomes.
  • If it is negative, you do not need to stay home as long as you do not develop symptoms.

If you develop respiratory illness symptoms, stay home and take this assessment again. For information on managing symptoms at home, visit our self-care guide.

Take steps to protect yourself and others.

All individuals who have respiratory virus symptoms and/or test positive for any respiratory illness (e.g. COVID-19, influenza) should stay home until all the following criteria are met:

  • symptoms have improved; AND
  • the individual is feeling well enough to resume normal activities; AND
  • the individual has been free of fever for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medication.

ACTION: You can use an at-home COVID-19 rapid test if you have access to one.

If the rapid test is positive for COVID-19:

  • Please contact your Family Doctor/Healthcare Provider for further assessment and advice.
  • If you do not have a Family Doctor/Healthcare Provider, or you cannot get an appointment within three days from when your symptoms started, call Health Link at 1-844-343-0971 to be referred to the Outpatient COVID Treatment Program for assessment, testing, and prescribing advice.
  • Visit ahs.ca/covidopt for more information on treatment to prevent your symptoms from getting worse.

If the rapid test is negative for COVID-19:

  • Please contact your Family Doctor/Healthcare Provider for medical advice.

ACTION: Take steps to minimize the spread of respiratory viruses.

In order to minimize transmission of respiratory viruses and keep each other safe, we also recommend the following:

  • Maintain good respiratory etiquette (cover coughs, sneeze into a bent elbow, wear a mask if sick, or have recently been sick).
  • Wear a mask for 10 days from the onset of symptoms (even if the symptoms have resolved or improved) when in indoor settings.
    • It is especially important that anyone who has recently been sick with a respiratory virus wear a mask when around anyone who is at risk for severe outcomes from respiratory virus infections (e.g. elderly or immunocompromised).
  • Frequent and careful hand hygiene.
  • Clean and disinfect surfaces regularly.
  • Anyone who is feeling unwell, regardless of whether they have tested positive for a respiratory virus or not, should avoid visiting acute care or continuing care settings except when necessary (e.g. to receive emergency care) and if possible, avoid contact with anyone who may be at high risk of severe outcomes (e.g. elderly or immunocompromised individuals).

ACTION: Follow these tips to help manage your symptoms at home.

  • Drink plenty of fluids to replace those you lost and to make your throat feel better. Drink enough fluids to keep your urine pale yellow.
  • To help clear a stuffy nose, breathe moist air from a hot shower or a sink filled with hot water.
  • For a stuffy nose, use salt water (saline) nose drops or rinses to loosen the dried mucus.
  • Raise your head with an extra pillow if coughing keeps you awake at night.

For more information on managing symptoms at home, visit our self-care guide.

Take steps to protect yourself and others.

All individuals who have respiratory virus symptoms and/or test positive for any respiratory illness (e.g. COVID-19, influenza) should stay home until all the following criteria are met:

  • symptoms have improved; AND
  • the individual is feeling well enough to resume normal activities; AND
  • the individual has been free of fever for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medication.

ACTION: Contact your family physician for an in-person or virtual visit, or visit your nearest walk-in clinic. You can use an at-home COVID-19 rapid test if you have access to one.

For information on how to do a rapid test and understanding the results visit Rapid testing at home. Rapid tests are available for free at a participating pharmacy. Find a pharmacy near you.

  • If you use a rapid test, please share your result with your care provider (no matter what the result is) or visit your nearest walk-in clinic for further advice.
  • If the rapid test is positive for COVID-19: Please contact your Family Doctor/Healthcare Provider for further assessment and advice on treatment and managing COVID-19.
  • If the rapid test is negative for COVID-19: Please contact your Family Doctor/Healthcare Provider for medical advice.

ACTION: Take steps to minimize the spread of respiratory viruses.

In order to minimize transmission of respiratory viruses and keep each other safe, we also recommend the following:

  • Maintain good respiratory etiquette (cover coughs, sneeze into a bent elbow, wear a mask if sick, or have recently been sick).
  • Wear a mask for 10 days from the onset of symptoms (even if the symptoms have resolved or improved) when in indoor settings.
    • It is especially important that anyone who has recently been sick with a respiratory virus wear a mask when around anyone who is at risk for severe outcomes from respiratory virus infections (e.g. elderly or immunocompromised).
  • Frequent and careful hand hygiene.
  • Clean and disinfect surfaces regularly.
  • Anyone who is feeling unwell, regardless of whether they have tested positive for a respiratory virus or not, should avoid visiting acute care or continuing care settings except when necessary (e.g. to receive emergency care) and if possible, avoid contact with anyone who may be at high risk of severe outcomes (e.g. elderly or immunocompromised individuals).

ACTION: Follow these tips to help manage your symptoms at home.

  • Drink plenty of fluids to replace those you lost and to make your throat feel better. Drink enough fluids to keep your urine pale yellow.
  • To help clear a stuffy nose, breathe moist air from a hot shower or a sink filled with hot water.
  • For a stuffy nose, use salt water (saline) nose drops or rinses to loosen the dried mucus.
  • Raise your head with an extra pillow if coughing keeps you awake at night.

For more information on managing symptoms at home, visit our self-care guide.

Take steps to protect yourself and others.

All individuals who have respiratory virus symptoms and/or test positive for any respiratory illness (e.g. COVID-19, influenza) should stay home until all the following criteria are met:

  • symptoms have improved; AND
  • the individual is feeling well enough to resume normal activities; AND
  • the individual has been free of fever for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medication.

ACTION: You can use an at-home COVID-19 rapid test if you have access to one.

ACTION: Take steps to minimize the spread of respiratory viruses.

In order to minimize transmission of respiratory viruses and keep each other safe, we also recommend the following:

  • Maintain good respiratory etiquette (cover coughs, sneeze into a bent elbow, wear a mask if sick, or have recently been sick).
  • Wear a mask for 10 days from the onset of symptoms (even if the symptoms have resolved or improved) when in indoor settings.
    • It is especially important that anyone who has recently been sick with a respiratory virus wear a mask when around anyone who is at risk for severe outcomes from respiratory virus infections (e.g. elderly or immunocompromised).
  • Frequent and careful hand hygiene.
  • Clean and disinfect surfaces regularly.
  • Anyone who is feeling unwell, regardless of whether they have tested positive for a respiratory virus or not, should avoid visiting acute care or continuing care settings except when necessary (e.g. to receive emergency care) and if possible, avoid contact with anyone who may be at high risk of severe outcomes (e.g. elderly or immunocompromised individuals).

ACTION: Follow these tips to help manage your symptoms at home.

Most people recover from respiratory illness without special treatment and can manage mild symptoms at home.

  • Drink plenty of fluids to replace those you lost and to make your throat feel better. Drink enough fluids to keep your urine pale yellow.
  • To help clear a stuffy nose, breathe moist air from a hot shower or a sink filled with hot water.
  • For a stuffy nose, use salt water (saline) nose drops or rinses to loosen the dried mucus.
  • Raise your head with an extra pillow if coughing keeps you awake at night.

For more information on managing symptoms at home, visit our self-care guide.

Is your child/youth experiencing any of the following:

  • severe difficulty breathing (e.g., struggling for each breath, speaking in single words)
  • severe chest pain
  • having a very hard time waking up
  • feeling confused
  • lost consciousness

Is your child/youth experiencing any of the following symptoms:

  • fever or chill
  • runny or stuffy nose
  • sore throat
  • cough
  • difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
  • nausea or diarrhea
  • loss or altered sense of taste or smell

Has your child/youth recently received a positive result on an at-home COVID-19 rapid test?

Since the start of the symptoms, is your child/youth experiencing any of the following?

  • Fever: higher than 39 degrees for three days
  • Red eyes between fever episodes
  • Cough: return of cough after being cough free
  • Increasing shortness of breath or shortness of breath at rest
  • Inability to lie down because of difficulty breathing
  • Signs of dehydration such as: passing only a little urine, feeling very lightheaded
  • New rash
  • Lips and tongue more red than normal
  • Chronic health conditions that you are having difficulty managing because of your current illness

Please call 911 or take your child/youth directly to the nearest emergency department.

Take steps to protect your child/youth and others.

We encourage you and your child/youth to take the following everyday actions to prevent respiratory illness:

  • Stay home when feeling sick.
  • If possible, avoid close contact with people who are sick.
  • Wash hands frequently with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
  • Cover your cough.
  • Avoid touching eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.
  • Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces and items at home, especially when someone in your home is sick.
  • Using a well-fitting, high-quality mask is encouraged, especially in crowded indoor settings. Wearing a mask can help reduce your risk of becoming sick and help protect others from being exposed.

If your child/youth develops respiratory illness symptoms, keep them at home and take this assessment again. For information on managing symptoms at home, visit our self-care guide.

Take steps to protect your child/youth and others.

ACTION: Your child/youth is recommended to stay home and away from other people.

If they continue to have no symptoms, keep them home for 24 hours and then complete another COVID-19 rapid test.

  • If the second result is positive, monitor closely for symptoms. For 10 days from the first positive test, we recommend that they wear a mask in indoor settings and avoid contact with those at high risk of severe outcomes.
  • If it is negative, they do not need to stay home as long as they do not develop symptoms.

If your child/youth develops respiratory illness symptoms, keep them home and take this assessment again. For information on managing symptoms at home, visit our self-care guide.

Take steps to protect your child/youth and others.

All individuals who have respiratory virus symptoms and/or test positive for any respiratory illness (e.g. COVID-19, influenza) should stay home until all the following criteria are met:

  • symptoms have improved; AND
  • the individual is feeling well enough to resume normal activities; AND
  • the individual has been free of fever for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medication.

ACTION: Contact your family physician for an in-person or virtual visit, or visit your nearest walk-in clinic. Your child/youth can use an at-home COVID-19 rapid test if you have access to one.

For information on how to do a rapid test and understanding the results visit Rapid testing at home. Rapid tests are available for free at a participating pharmacy. Find a pharmacy near you.

  • If you use a rapid test, please share your child/youth's result with your care provider (no matter what the result is) or visit your nearest walk-in clinic for further advice.
  • If the rapid test is positive for COVID-19: Please contact your Family Doctor/Healthcare Provider for further assessment and advice on treatment and managing COVID-19.
  • If the rapid test is negative for COVID-19: Please contact your Family Doctor/Healthcare Provider for medical advice.

ACTION: Take steps to minimize the spread of respiratory viruses.

In order to minimize transmission of respiratory viruses and keep each other safe, we also recommend the following:

  • Maintain good respiratory etiquette (cover coughs, sneeze into a bent elbow, wear a mask if sick, or have recently been sick).
  • Wear a mask for 10 days from the onset of symptoms (even if the symptoms have resolved or improved) when in indoor settings.
    • It is especially important that anyone who has recently been sick with a respiratory virus wear a mask when around anyone who is at risk for severe outcomes from respiratory virus infections (e.g. elderly or immunocompromised).
  • Frequent and careful hand hygiene.
  • Clean and disinfect surfaces regularly.
  • Anyone who is feeling unwell, regardless of whether they have tested positive for a respiratory virus or not, should avoid visiting acute care or continuing care settings except when necessary (e.g. to receive emergency care) and if possible, avoid contact with anyone who may be at high risk of severe outcomes (e.g. elderly or immunocompromised individuals).

ACTION: Follow these tips to help manage symptoms at home.

  • Ensure your child/youth is drinking plenty of fluids to replace those lost and to make their throat feel better. They should drink enough fluids to keep their urine pale yellow.
  • To help clear a stuffy nose, have them breathe moist air from a hot shower or a sink filled with hot water.
  • For a stuffy nose, use salt water (saline) nose drops or rinses to loosen the dried mucus.
  • Raise their head with an extra pillow if coughing keeps them awake at night.

For more information on managing symptoms at home, visit our self-care guide.

Take steps to protect your child/youth and others.

All individuals who have respiratory virus symptoms and/or test positive for any respiratory illness (e.g. COVID-19, influenza) should stay home until all the following criteria are met:

  • symptoms have improved; AND
  • the individual is feeling well enough to resume normal activities; AND
  • the individual has been free of fever for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medication.

ACTION: Your child/youth can use an at-home COVID-19 rapid test if you have access to one.

ACTION: Take steps to minimize the spread of respiratory viruses.

In order to minimize transmission of respiratory viruses and keep each other safe, we also recommend the following:

  • Maintain good respiratory etiquette (cover coughs, sneeze into a bent elbow, wear a mask if sick, or have recently been sick).
  • Wear a mask for 10 days from the onset of symptoms (even if the symptoms have resolved or improved) when in indoor settings.
    • It is especially important that anyone who has recently been sick with a respiratory virus wear a mask when around anyone who is at risk for severe outcomes from respiratory virus infections (e.g. elderly or immunocompromised).
  • Frequent and careful hand hygiene.
  • Clean and disinfect surfaces regularly.
  • Anyone who is feeling unwell, regardless of whether they have tested positive for a respiratory virus or not, should avoid visiting acute care or continuing care settings except when necessary (e.g. to receive emergency care) and if possible, avoid contact with anyone who may be at high risk of severe outcomes (e.g. elderly or immunocompromised individuals).

ACTION: Follow these tips to help manage symptoms at home.

Most people recover from respiratory illness without special treatment and can manage mild symptoms at home.

Things to help your child/youth feel better:

  • Ensure they are drinking plenty of fluids to replace those lost and to make their throat feel better. They should drink enough fluids to keep their urine pale yellow.
  • To help clear a stuffy nose, have them breathe moist air from a hot shower or a sink filled with hot water.
  • For a stuffy nose, use salt water (saline) nose drops or rinses to loosen the dried mucus.
  • Raise their head with an extra pillow if coughing keeps them awake at night.

For more information on managing symptoms at home, visit our self-care guide.