COVID-19 FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I protect myself from the Coronavirus?

• Wash your hands often with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Cover your mouth and nose with your elbow or a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth if your hands aren’t clean.
• Avoid close contact with anyone who is sick.
• Clean surfaces you often touch.
• Stay home from work, school, and public areas if you’re sick.

In addition to the above, the World Health Organization recommends these steps:

• Check with your doctor if you have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing, and tell him or her about any recent travels.
• Avoid eating raw or undercooked meat or animal organs.
• If you’re visiting live markets in areas that have recently had new coronavirus cases, avoid contact with live animals and surfaces they may have touched.

How can I minimize the spread of Coronavirus on my healthcare visits?

• If you have a fever with a cough or a fever with shortness of breath, please consult your provider by phone before any upcoming appointments.
• One person is allowed to accompany each patient to an appointment unless additional assistance is required.
• Anyone other than the patient who is coughing or shows other signs of illness will be asked to wait outside.

How is Coronavirus spread?

• Through coughing and sneezing.
• Close personal contact, such as touching or shaking hands.
• Touching surfaces with the virus, then touching your mouth, nose, or eyes.

What is social distancing and what are other terms being used for COVID-19 awareness?

• The CDC recommends social distancing which means stay out of social settings, avoiding mass gatherings, and maintaining distance (approximately 6 feet or 2 meters) from others when possible. Here are other terms that have been used often when discussing COVID-19.
• Self-observation means people should remain alert for subjective fever, cough, or difficulty breathing. If they feel feverish or develop cough or difficulty breathing during the self-observation period, they should take their temperature, self-isolate, limit contact with others, and seek advice by telephone from a healthcare provider or their local health department to determine whether a medical evaluation is needed.
• Self-monitoring means people should monitor themselves for fever by taking their temperatures twice a day and remain alert for a cough or difficulty breathing. If they feel feverish or develop measured fever, cough, or difficulty breathing during the self-monitoring period, they should self-isolate, limit contact with others, and seek advice by telephone from a healthcare provider or their local health department to determine whether a medical evaluation is needed.
• Quarantine in general means the separation of a person or group of people reasonably believed to have been exposed to a communicable disease but not yet symptomatic, from others who have not been so exposed, to prevent the possible spread of the communicable disease.