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Associates in Family Medicine is asking all patients with respiratory symptoms or fevers of unknown origin to stay away from its clinics to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus.

Instead, they should call ahead to their doctor's office.

Joseph Prows, a doctor on the Northern Colorado medical group's COVID-19 response team, told the Coloradoanthe company is operating under the assumption that "anyone who is sick (with respiratory illness), until proven otherwise (not to be COVID-19), needs to isolate" due to providers' limited ability to test for the disease as well as vulnerability of high-risk patients.

Larimer County's first presumptive positive case of coronavirus was confirmed Monday a woman in her 50s who has been diagnosed with pneumonia, one of the more serious complications of the disease.

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Larimer County Department of Health and Environment spokesperson Katie O'Donnell told the Coloradoan that county health officials do not expect a dramatic uptick in cases.

"Our (coronavirus) risk is really, really low here," she said. "It's cold and flu season, so we're seeing a lot ofnot COVID-19 coronavirus just colds and flu."

O'Donnell echoed Prows' advice to stay home if you're sick to prevent spreading any respiratory illnesses not just COVID-19.

"If you're symptomatic at all, you shouldn't be out and about," she said.

The health department is not handling tests for the new coronavirus, she added. All tests are sent directly to the state, which currently has the capacity to run 160 tests per day. Test results can take up to 48 hours.

Prows hopes offices like his will be able to test for the virus in coming weeks, and Associates in Family Medicine's response will evolve "day by day," he said.

Associates in Family Medicine operates nine medical offices with more than 50 providers in Fort Collins, Loveland and Windsor.

Signs will be posted at all Associates in Family Medicine offices reminding patients with those symptoms not to enter the office and directing them to call ahead.The company is working to set up a dedicated phone line for those calls, Prows said. Until that is established, patients should call their regular doctor's office phone number before coming in.

The company is also rolling out the ability to do telemedicine visits by phone or by video conferencing as early as Tuesday, Prows said.

"We must slow this down," he said. "We have finite resources."

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Symptoms of COVID-19 can range from mild to severe; the virus can also be asymptomatic, meaningsome people don't have any symptoms at all.

Themost common symptomsmirror the fluand include fever,tiredness and dry cough. Some people also develop aches and pains, nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat or diarrhea.

About 1 in 6 people becomes seriously ill and develops difficulty breathing, according to the World Health Organization.If you experience fever, cough and shortness of breath,call yourdoctor.

If you'vetraveled from an area with local spread of COVID-19in the last twoweeks, and have not been in contact with Larimer County Department of Health and Environment, notify the department by calling970-498-6775 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

During other hours, leave a message (including your contact information) at970-498-6792or complete the department's online form, which is available at http://www.larimer.org/health/communicable-disease/coronavirus-covid-19.

More: Map: Where in Colorado has coronavirus been detected?

Sarah Kyle is a content coach at the Coloradoan. Contact her at sarahkyle@coloradoan.com.Support her work and that of other Coloradoan journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.

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Fort Collins medical group: Call before visiting clinics if you have respiratory symptoms - Coloradoan