COVID-19: Prevention and Groups at Higher Risk
The best way to protect yourself and those around you from COVID-19 is to get vaccinated.
Learn more about the benefits of vaccination.
Prevention Tips
Get Vaccinated and Boosted
- COVID-19 vaccines and boosters are available for people ages 6 months and older.
- Visit the NYC COVID-19 and Flu Vaccine Finder or call 877-VAX4NYC (877-829-4692) to find a vaccination site.
- COVID-19: Vaccine
Wear a Mask
- Wear a mask whenever required.
- Wear a mask in all public indoor settings.
- Wear a higher-quality mask, including KN95, KF94, N95, or a cloth mask on top of a surgical mask — especially if you are at high risk for severe COVID-19.
Get Tested
- Get tested if you have symptoms or were recently exposed. People who are unvaccinated should get tested more often.
- If you test positive, you may be eligible for treatment. Treatment works best the sooner you begin, so it is important to get tested and seek care right away.
- Visit COVID-19 Testing Locations or text "COVID TEST" to 855-48
- NYC Health + Hospital sites offering testing at no cost to you
- COVID-19 Testing: At-home Testing (PDF)
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Stay Home If Sick
- Follow all isolation guidance, including wearing a face mask. COVID-19 is highly contagious. You can spread COVID-19 even if you do not have symptoms.
- COVID-19: When You Are Sick
- COVID-19 Isolation and Exposure Guidance Tool
- CDC Isolation and Exposure Calculator
Wash Your Hands
- Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, or use a hand sanitizer.
People at Increased Risk of Severe Illness
People at increased risk of severe illness — who are more likely to require hospitalization if they get COVID-19 — need to be especially careful. If you are at increased risk for severe illness, treatment is available. If you are moderately or severely immunocompromised or unable to get vaccinated because you are allergic to the vaccine, talk to your doctor about Evusheld — an injectable drug that increases your protection against COVID-19.
Among adults, the risk for severe illness from COVID-19 increases with age, with older adults at highest risk. For example, 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.
People of any age with the underlying health conditions identified by the CDC are more likely to get severely ill from COVID-19:
Racial/Ethnic Groups
Long-standing systemic health and social inequities — such as in education, employment, housing and health care access — have put people from some racial and ethnic groups (including Black, Latino and Indigenous people) at increased risk of getting sick and dying from COVID-19.
Studies have shown that people from some racial and ethnic groups are dying from COVID-19 at younger ages. People of color are often younger when they develop chronic medical conditions and may be more likely to have more than one condition.