If you have a fever, cough or other symptoms, you might have COVID-19. Most people have mild illness and are able to recover at home. If you think you may have been exposed to COVID-19, keep track of your symptoms and contact your healthcare provider (primary care physician, etc.).
Steps to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 if you are sick…
If you are sick with COVID-19 or think you might have COVID-19, follow the steps below to care for yourself and to help protect other people in your home and community.
Stay home except to get medical care..
- Stay home. Most people with COVID-19 have mild illness and can recover at home without medical care. Do not leave your home, except to get medical care. Do not visit public areas.
- Take care of yourself. Get rest and stay hydrated. Take over-the-counter medicines, such as acetaminophen, to help you feel better.
- Stay in touch with your doctor. Call before you get medical care.
- Avoid public transportation, ride-sharing, or taxis.
When to seek emergency medical attention..
Look for emergency warning signs for COVID-19. If someone is showing any of these signs, seek emergency medical care immediately:
- Trouble breathing
- Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
- New confusion
- Inability to wake or stay awake
- Bluish lips or face
This list is not all possible symptoms. Please call your medical provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning to you.
If You Call 911 : Notify the 911 call taker that you are seeking care for someone who has or may have COVID-19.
EMS providers will be protecting themselves as well as our patients when responding to calls during the pandemic. Our personnel will be utilizing various levels of personal protective equipment, limiting the number of crew members entering a room, building and/or interacting with patients, and performing additional patient assessments on scene to determine the best course of treatment and care for each patient that we encounter. This may include determining if the patient’s primary care or other physician has previously been contacted concerning the patient’s current symptoms.
If transported to a hospital, Covid 19 positive patients will likely experience a delay in entering the hospital due to protocols in place which require these patients to be delivered by our crews directly to an Emergency Department (E.D.) or other room rather than waiting in the E.D. corridor for a room assignment. Our EMS crews have been experiencing delays at the E.D. of up to 30 minutes during this process. In addition, due to area hospitals experiencing high patient volumes, it is possible that you may not be transported to the nearest hospital at any given time.
Transport to a hospital by EMS alone DOES NOT determine how quickly a patient is seen in the E.D.!!!
During the recent uptick in Covid 19 cases, along with seasonal health issues, area hospitals have been placed on various levels of alerts which determine which hospitals our ambulances can transport patients to at times. In the week beginning Monday November 9, 2020 through today Saturday November 14, 2020 area hospitals have recorded the following alert periods which determine the destination hospital we must select.
Hospital Yellow Alert Red Alert Re-Route
