Helpful Information about COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019)

On March 13, the United States declared a state of national emergency concerning COVID-19. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), different parts of the country are seeing different levels of COVID-19 activity. The virus seems to be spreading from person-to-person easily in the community. That means everyone should do their part to prevent it from spreading further.

Symptoms of COVID-19

Know the signs and symptoms of COVID-19:

• Body aches and fatigue
• Dry cough
• Fever of 100 degrees or higher
• Runny nose
• Sore throat

Am I At Risk?

You have at higher risk of COVID-19 if you:

• Traveled to or from these countries within the past 30 days
• Have been in close contact with someone with a fever or respiratory illness (cough or shortness of breath).

If you're concerned you have been exposed, call your doctor's office or local public health department. A health care provider can tell you how and when to get testing and care while reducing the risk of exposing others to the virus.

How to Protect Yourself & Others

Protect yourself from COVID-19 the same ways you protect against a cold or seasonal flu.

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water aren't available, use a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
• Cover your cough or sneeze.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
• Routinely disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces, using a cleaning spray or wipe.
• Stay six feet away from others.
• Avoid travel. We are discouraging nonessential travel to or through any of the countries for which the CDC has issued a level 2 or 3 travel health notice.
• Take extra precautions to reduce the likelihood of exposure if you are at a higher risk of serious illness from COVID-19.
• Stay home when you are sick.

If You Feel Sick or Were Exposed to COVID-19

Review these guidelines for home quarantine or home isolation. Home quarantine separates people who were exposed to a contagious disease to see if they become sick. Isolation separates sick people to prevent them from passing the virus on to others.

• If you think you have been exposed to the virus, stay home for 14 days—even if you don't have symptoms.
• If you have traveled to a country on the CDC list of level 2 or 3 travel health notices and feel ill, call your doctor before visiting a doctor's office, urgent care center, or the emergency room.
• Monitor yourself for fever, coughing and shortness of breath.
• If you are sick, stay home and separate yourself from others as much as possible. Symptoms like a cough, runny nose, sore throat, fever, and fatigue are more likely caused by influenza (the flu) or other respiratory viruses than by COVID-19. Whether you have the flu or something else, stay away from others when you have a contagious illness.
• Only come to the emergency room if you have a health emergency and/or you have been advised by your health care provider to do so. This helps prevent the risk of spreading COVID-19 infection.

What We Are Doing

We continue to follow established infection prevention protocols and remain prepared to care for patients. We are monitoring the current situation closely and taking precautions to keep our patients, visitors, staff, and community as safe as possible.

Stay Informed

The CDC has the most current information about the virus, including everything you need to know about how the virus spreads, how it's treated, how to protect yourself, and what to do if you get sick. Stay on top of the latest by visiting the CDC website, which is being updated frequently.

You can also learn how your state's department of public health is responding to the situation by visiting the website for the state where you live.