Coronavirus (COVID-19) Frequently Asked Questions

Contact your primary care provider.

CDC has activated their Emergency Operations Center to provide support for the COVID-19 response. CDC has released information on the virus, which can be found at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, individuals who have chronic conditions or are above the age of 70, are considered at the greatest risk for developing severe symptoms. More information can be found here.

You can also review the latest from the CDC on high risk information.
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/specific-groups/high-risk-complications.html

COVID-19 is a respiratory illness that causes the following symptoms:

• Fever
• Cough
• Shortness of breath

Symptoms may not appear up until 14 days after exposure.

Beginning Monday, March 23, all UT Physicians clinics will expand the current modified screening process. Patients, visitors, and employees will take part in a brief survey and temperature reading when arriving for appointments. This will be in effect until further notice.

With these new protocols, it is recommended that patients arrive early for appointments. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. However, this is a rapidly evolving situation with COVID-19 and our utmost priority is the safety of our patient population and our employees.

We encourage everyone to be vigilant and help prevent the spread of respiratory illnesses by practicing good hygiene, including:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
• Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol, if soap and water are not available.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Stay home when you are sick.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

If you are experiencing symptoms related to COVID-19 or have been exposed to someone with the disease, you are asked to call your clinic prior to your appointment.

Updated information can be found at: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/geographical-distribution-2019-ncov-cases

Human coronaviruses are common throughout the world. They commonly cause mild to moderate illness.

A new coronavirus was identified in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China in late 2019. This new coronavirus is called the “SARS-CoV-2” and the disease COVID-19. Chinese authorities identified the new coronavirus, which has resulted in thousands of cases throughout the world. The exact source of the virus has not yet been confirmed; however, it has been linked to large seafood and animal market in Wuhan, China, suggesting zoonotic origin.

• SARS-CoV-2 is not the same virus as MERS-CoV or SARS-CoV. However, it belongs to the same genus (betacoronavirus) and the symptoms are similar to those of SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV.
• MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV are instances when animal coronaviruses evolved and infected people and then spread between people. SARS-CoV was transmitted from civet cats to humans in China in 2002 and MERS-CoV from dromedary camels to humans in Saudi Arabia in 2012. Several known coronaviruses are circulating in animals that have never infected humans. Bats are believed to be a common reservoir of coronaviruses.

Human coronaviruses most commonly spread from an infected person to others through:

• By respiratory droplets when coughing and sneezing close personal contact, such as touch or shaking hands
• Touching an object or surface with the virus on it, then touching your mouth, nose, or eyes before washing your hands

A large segment of the population does not have immunity to this new virus, SARS-CoV-2. Currently, we do not know if the virus will cause a severe illness requiring hospitalization or if it will just cause a mild illness.

There currently are no vaccines to protect against the human coronavirus, including SARS-CoV-2.

There are no specific treatments. Medical care is supportive and to help relieve symptoms.

More information can be found at the CDC website: (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html) and the WHO website (https://www.who.int/westernpacific/emergencies/novel-coronavirus) To find out the number of patients with confirmed COVID-19, please visit this website: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/geographical-distribution-2019-ncov-cases

Read updated travel notices from the CDC: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices

This is a very important question. Please contact your physician’s office as soon as possible so they can guide you on the next best steps.

We know that this virus is transmitted through contact droplet. Eating out is not recommended at this time because of the risk of COVID-19 being transmitted from high touch surfaces (door, table, chair, etc.). Ordering take-out food or having food delivered are both safer options.

There are many scams taking place in regards to COVID-19. Please review information from the Federal Trade Commission.

Yes. Activity is good for your body, mind, and mood. Experts say you can walk or hike, or do other activity outside—as long as you can stay 6 feet away from other people.

Because COVID-19 is new, experts don’t have enough information to say if and how the virus will affect a pregnancy. They also don’t know whether the virus can be passed to the baby (fetus). The immune system can change during pregnancy. Experience with similar viruses has shown that there might be a higher risk for serious illness during pregnancy. It’s important to do what you can to be as healthy as possible. This includes taking steps to prevent infection, such as washing your hands often and staying at least 6 feet away from people. Keep having regular prenatal visits. Stay in touch with your health care team.

It’s important to keep your distance to help stop the spread of the virus. You must always be 6 feet or more away from someone. You may think you’re healthy, but you could carry the virus and spread it even if you feel fine. And so could your friends. So no parties, handshakes, hugs, or high-fives.

People could transmit the virus when they don’t have symptoms and before developing symptoms. Therefore it is now recommended wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where social distancing is difficult to maintain, such as grocery stores and pharmacies.

You can always call friends and family or see each other on Skype, FaceTime, or another type of video call.

There’s no evidence that the virus can be spread through water or food. The virus is believed to be spread from person to person. This happens through close contact (being within 6 feet) and droplets when a person who has the virus coughs or sneezes. Experts also think it may be possible to get the virus by touching something that has the virus on it and then touching your mouth, nose, or eyes. City water treatment disinfects water. While food doesn’t spread the virus, it’s important to wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds before you prepare food. It’s also important to disinfect surfaces like kitchen counters, tables, and objects that you touch.

There haven’t been any reports so far of household pets getting the virus. But if you have COVID-19, experts recommend that you stay away from your pets—just like you would stay away from people when you’re sick. If you have to care for your pets yourself, wash your hands before and after.

The virus can survive on some surfaces for up to 3 days, according to the study in the New England Journal of Medicine. How well it survives may depend on the surface it’s on. In the study, the virus lasted longest on plastic and stainless steel. It didn’t live as long on cardboard. Because the virus can live for hours to days, it’s especially important to keep items around you clean. Experts advise disinfecting surfaces and objects you touch a lot, such as tables, door handles, faucets, toilets, handrails, and remote controls. You can use household disinfectants, a bleach solution, or alcohol solutions with at least 70% alcohol.

If your test is negative and your symptoms continue or get worse, you should call your doctor or other health care provider. They will tell you if you need another test. No medical test is perfect. If your test result is positive, you are believed to have COVID-19. You will be diagnosed with it. But if your test result is negative, you still could have COVID-19. There are several reasons why a test might be negative, even though you have been infected. For example, your virus levels might be too low for the test to detect. Or the virus may not have been in the area of your body where the test was done. Sometimes there are errors in how the sample was collected or how the test was run. This could cause a negative test, even when you have an infection.

A ventilator is a machine that breathes for a person when they can’t breathe well enough on their own. COVID-19 is a respiratory virus. This means it can affect the breathing systems of the body, especially the lungs. Most people with COVID-19 don’t get seriously ill. But when someone is very ill, the infection affects the lungs so severely that breathing is hard or impossible. A ventilator has a tube that goes through the mouth into the lungs. The machine brings oxygen into the lungs and removes carbon dioxide. A ventilator is important because it does the work of the lungs and gives them time to heal. After they heal, the tube can be removed. One of the main concerns about this virus is whether there will be enough ventilators if many people get sick at the same time.