People who are at risk of more severe disease or outcomes from COVID-19

Organization: Public Health Agency of Canada

Date published: 2022-04-22

Related links

• Vaccines for COVID-19
• My COVID-19 visit risk calculator
• COVID-19 mask use: Advice for community settings
• COVID-19: Individual public health measures
• Ventilation helps protect against the spread of COVID-19
• COVID-19: COVID-19: What to do if you or someone in your home is sick
• COVID-19: Symptoms

Some people are at higher risk of more severe disease or outcomes from COVID-19 infection than others.

You may be at higher risk if you:

• are an older adult (increasing risk with each decade, especially over 60 years)
• are pregnant
• have Down syndrome
• haven’t received all of your recommended COVID-19 vaccine doses
• have a chronic medical condition, including:
  • asthma (moderate to severe)
  • dementia
  • diabetes
  • heart disease
  • high blood pressure
  • kidney disease
  • liver disease
  • lung disease
  • stroke
• are immunocompromised, including if you:
  • have an underlying medical condition, such as cancer
  • take medications that reduce the immune response, such as chemotherapy
  • have had a solid organ or blood stem cell transplant
• live with obesity (if you have a body mass index [BMI] of 40 or more)  

Some settings and activities are associated with higher risk of transmission of COVID-19, such as:

• settings that are:
  • crowded
  • poorly ventilated
• activities that:
  • involve singing, shouting or heavy breathing
  • require you to remove your mask around people outside of your immediate household, like eating or drinking in public settings

When the risk of exposure is higher, layer multiple individual public health measures, such as:

• wearing the best quality and best fitting respirator or mask that’s available to you
• avoiding or limiting the amount of time spent in higher-risk settings 
• improving ventilation in your home or co-living setting by opening windows and doors regularly, even for a few minutes at a time
• maximizing your physical distance from people outside of your immediate household
• regularly cleaning your hands

Avoid contact or sharing spaces with people who:

• are sick or have symptoms of COVID-19
• have or may have been exposed to COVID-19

If you must be in a shared space, limit the amount of time you’re in the space and follow all public health measures to reduce the risk of spread. This includes wearing a well-fitting respirator. If a respirator is unavailable, it’s recommended that you wear a well-fitted medical mask. If neither are available, you should properly wear a well-constructed and well-fitting non-medical mask.

Someone other than you should provide care to a person who is in quarantine or isolation. This will reduce your risk of becoming ill.

Ensure those you live with know you’re at higher risk of severe disease or outcomes from COVID-19. This way they can take measures to protect themselves from infection and help prevent COVID-19 from entering the household.

Talk with your health care provider to learn how else to best protect yourself from COVID-19.

For more information on COVID-19:

• Canada.ca/coronavirus
• toll free: 1-833-784-4397