Youve tracked your symptoms and you believe its not flu, allergies, strep or a cold. Can you get tested for the coronavirus?

Maybe. Local hospitals and doctors are following the national Centers for Disease Control and Preventions protocols and guidelines about who gets tested.

"We are adhering to the established protocols," says Dr. Maria Granzotti, chief medical officer at Ascension Texas.

That means they are looking at exposure risk factors such as whether someone has traveled in the last 14 days and where theyve traveled, or if they have been in direct contact with someone who has the virus as well as what their symptoms are.

"It doesnt help us to do inadvertent testing," Granzotti says. "We have to be very cognizant of who has the algorithm for testing to begin with."

They want to make sure that the tests are given to the right people, those with exposure to the virus, and not be used on people who dont have the risk factors.

The hospitals and doctors offices all have the swabs to do the test (its the same as the flu swab). What they dont have is the tests themselves. They are sending swabs from the people who meet the protocols to Austin Public Health right now. The tests then go to the CDC for confirmation.

Doctors are being told test results will be back within 48 hours, says Dr. Meena Iyer, the chief medical officer at Dell Childrens Medical Center of Central Texas.

While people wait, they will either go home to be isolated for 14 days until they know they are negative for the virus, or they will be in the hospital if they require that level of care.

Ascension Texas is evaluating commercial labs and "the appropriateness of their testing kits," Granzotti says.

If you think you might have the virus because youve been in contact with someone who has it or is being tested for it, call ahead to your doctors office so that your doctor can be ready to receive you and follow the protocols to keep the staff and other patients safe.

The doctors office will call the public health department to see if you meet the criteria to be tested.

If you cannot reach your doctors office, you can call the state public health COVID-19 hot line, 1-877-570-9779. You also can call Ascensions hot line for the coronavirus, 1-833-919-1680, which has nurses to answer questions and assess whether you need to be seen or tested.

Ascension also has online telemedicine in which you see a doctor virtually that doesnt require insurance. Download the app at ascension.org/onlinecare, and use the code HOME for a discounted $20 visit.

If you are having significant trouble breathing, call 911 instead of just showing up at the emergency room. This makes sure that the emergency room is prepared to receive you and that you get immediate treatment if you need it.

Right now, Ascension Texas hospitals are not seeing a lot of people flocking to the emergency room to get tested, which is a good thing.

"We are seeing a few and they are appropriately being identified," Granzotti says.

St. Davids HealthCare is also following the same protocol. On Friday, it released this statement after a presumptive case was acknowledged to be in one of its hospitals:

"As the COVID-19 scenario continues to unfold, it is important that we reserve our emergency departments for patients with emergent medical conditions. We are encouraging patients to access the most appropriate site of care for their medical needs."

The statement continues: "If a patient has flu-like symptoms or thinks they may have been exposed to COVID-19, they should call their primary care doctor or go to an urgent care clinic. If they are having trouble breathing or have some other type of related emergent condition, they should go to an emergency department."

Excerpt from:

You think you got coronavirus: Whats it take to get tested in Austin? - austin360