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Covid-19 Your Questions Answered

coronavirus-update-roundImportant information about coronavirus

Here you’ll find everything from what we’re doing to protect patients, visitors and staff to other frequently asked questions.

What You Should Know

What You Should Know

 

Currently, there’s no vaccine to prevent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends these everyday preventative actions to help prevent the spread of respiratory diseases like COVID-19 or the flu:

 

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

 

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.

 

• Stay home when you’re sick.

 

• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.

• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.

 

Follow CDC’s recommendations for using a facemask

 

• CDC recommends using a cloth facemask, especially in areas with significant community-based transmission.

 

• You can find the basics of wearing facemasks, including answers to frequently asked questions and how to make masks out of household items.

 

Follow CDC's recommendations for handwashing

 
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.

 

• If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol. Always wash hands with soap and water if hands are visibly dirty.

 

What We're Doing

What We’re Doing at Virtua Health

 

Virtua Health convened a multidisciplinary taskforce and developed a comprehensive response plan around COVID-19. Our clinical teams have implemented screening procedures and are actively examining this continuously changing situation. Additionally, we are closely collaborating with the CDC as well as the New Jersey Department of Health to help ensure the well-being of our colleagues, clinicians, patients, and visitors.

 

The health of our patients, physicians, clinicians, colleagues, and visitors is our top priority. As such, we encourage you to visit the page often and check the links above to stay up to date on our policies for visitors, our urgent care centers, elective procedures, and our programs.

FAQs

I think I have coronavirus or COVID-19, what do I do?


If you develop emergency warning signs for COVID-19 get medical attention immediately, call 911. Emergency warning signs include:
• Trouble breathing
• Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
• New confusion or inability to arouse
• Bluish lips or face

If you think you have been exposed to COVID-19 and you are experiencing symptoms, such as cough, shortness of breath, and difficulty breathing, call your primary care provider or Virtua’s COVID-19 hotline, seven days a week, from 7 a.m. to midnight at 888-847-8823 for guidance on next steps.

To learn about Virtua Telemedicine eVisits, offering secure, convenient, online care from a Virtua health care provider, weekdays from 9 a.m. to 8:45 p.m. and weekends and holidays from 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., visit https://www.virtua.org/patient-tools/evisits.

We also invite you to chat now with a Virtua Personal Navigator for assistance with COVID-19 related questions. Navigators are available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Friday and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

If you have mild symptoms, it is generally recommended you manage COVID-19 from the comfort of your own home through self-isolation. 

Self-Care at Home for Mild Symptoms 

• Stay home unless you need to leave for medical care.
• Separate yourself from other people and animals in your home. Stay in a specific room and use a separate bathroom, if possible.
• Use a mask, cover your coughs, and wash your hands frequently.
• View these helpful self-isolation guidelines.
 

How can I protect myself?

• Clean your hands frequently.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after you have been in a public place, or after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing.
• If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Cover all surfaces of your hands and rub them together until they feel dry.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
 

Additional ways to protect yourself:

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Put distance between yourself and other people if COVID-19 is spreading in your community. This is especially important for people who are at higher risk of getting very sick.
 

How can I protect others?

These are ways that you can protect others from contracting COVID-19:
• Stay home if you’re sick.
• Cover coughs and sneezes.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces daily. 
 

Who is at risk?

According to the CDC, the following groups of people are at higher risk of exposure to the COVID-19 virus: 
• People in places where ongoing community spread of the virus that causes COVID-19 has been reported, with increase in risk dependent on the location.
• Health care workers caring for patients with COVID-19
• Close contacts of persons with COVID-19 
• Travelers returning from affected international locations where community spread is occurring, with increase in risk dependent on the location.
 
The CDC has developed guidance to help in the risk assessment and management of people with potential exposures to COVID-19.
 
Older people and those with pre-existing conditions — such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, hypertension and cancer — are at higher risk of a severe and potentially fatal case of the virus. If you are at higher risk for serious illness from COVID-19 because of your age or because you have a serious long-term health problem, it is especially important for you to take actions to reduce your risk of getting sick with the disease. 
 

Emotional Wellness Support 

The CDC offers many helpful resources on managing anxiety and stress. Everyone reacts differently to stressful situations and how you respond to the outbreak can depend on your background, the things that make you different from other people, and the community you live in.
 

For People Who Have Been Released from Quarantine

Being separated from others if a health care provider thinks you may have been exposed to COVID-19 can be stressful, even if you do not get sick. Everyone feels differently after coming out of quarantine. Some feelings include:
• Mixed emotions, including relief after quarantine
• Fear and worry about your own health and the health of your loved ones
• Stress from the experience of monitoring yourself or being monitored by others for signs and symptoms of COVID-19
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