Pneumonia

Pneumonia is an infection that fills the air sacs in one or both lungs with fluid. Pneumonia symptoms include fever, a deep cough, and shortness of breath. Many cases are treated at home, but some need the hospital.

What Is It

Bacteria, viruses, and fungi can all cause pneumonia. It often follows a cold, the flu, COVID, or RSV. Walking pneumonia is a milder form that lets you stay on your feet. Babies, adults over 65, smokers, and people with asthma, COPD, or a weak immune system are at higher risk.

Symptoms

Cough, often with yellow, green, or rusty mucus
Fever, sweating, and shaking chills
Shortness of breath, even at rest
Sharp chest pain when you breathe deeply or cough
Fast breathing and a fast heartbeat
Tiredness and poor appetite

Not sure it’s pneumonia? Bronchitis also causes a cough with mucus, but usually with a lower fever and less shortness of breath. Pneumonia often follows the flu.

Treatment

At your visit: A provider checks your oxygen level and listens to your lungs, and a chest X-ray confirms pneumonia. Testing for flu and COVID may also help. Bacterial pneumonia is treated with antibiotics. Low oxygen or hard breathing needs hospital care.

At home:

Take every dose of your antibiotic
Drink plenty of fluids
Rest, and do not rush back to work or exercise
Use over the counter fever reducers as directed

Most people feel better within 1 week, but tiredness and cough can last a month.

When to Get Care for Pneumonia

Watch at Home

Improving each day on treatment you already started
Fever gone and breathing comfortably
Eating and drinking normally

Come to Urgent Care Today

A cough with fever above 102 degrees
A cold or flu that got better, then worse again
Mild shortness of breath with activity
Pain in the chest when you breathe deeply
Not improving after 2 to 3 days of antibiotics

Go to the Emergency Department

Struggling to breathe, or breathing very fast at rest
Lips or fingernails turning blue or gray
Confusion or unusual sleepiness, especially in older adults
A baby or child with ribs pulling in with each breath
Chest pain with a racing heart or fainting

FAQ

What are the first signs of pneumonia?

The first signs of pneumonia are usually fever, chills, and a cough that gets deeper over a few days. Shortness of breath and chest pain with deep breaths often follow.

Is pneumonia contagious?

The germs that cause pneumonia can be contagious, spreading through coughs and sneezes. Not everyone who catches the germ gets pneumonia. You are usually no longer contagious after 1 to 2 days on antibiotics.

How is pneumonia diagnosed?

Pneumonia is diagnosed with a lung exam, an oxygen check, and a chest X-ray. Tests for flu, COVID, or strep can help find the cause.

What is walking pneumonia?

Walking pneumonia is a mild form of pneumonia that lets you keep up your daily routine. It causes a lingering cough, tiredness, and low fever, and often needs antibiotics.

Can urgent care treat pneumonia?

Yes, urgent care can diagnose and treat most pneumonia. At Vitality Urgent Care, a provider can check your oxygen and lungs, and chest X-ray is available on site.

When is pneumonia an emergency?

Pneumonia is an emergency when you struggle to breathe, have blue lips, feel confused, or have a very fast heartbeat. Babies and adults over 65 can get worse quickly.

Last reviewed October 2026