What is COVID-19?

COVID-19 is caused by a coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2. As of November 2020, there are almost 12.5 million cases here in the U.S. You can view the COVID-19 dashboard managed by Johns Hopkins University to see the number of cases in the U.S. broken down by state.  

Symptoms of COVID-19

Those with COVID-19 report a wide range of symptoms, including:

• Fever or chills
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Fatigue
• Muscle or body aches
• Headache
• New loss of taste or smell
• Sore throat
• Congestion or runny nose
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea
• For a full list of possible symptoms, please visit the CDC’s website.

Symptoms can appear anywhere between 2-14 days after initial exposure to the virus. Most people experience mild symptoms, but anyone can experience severe illness with COVID-19. People with an increased risk of severe symptoms are:

• Older adults
• People with preexisting medical conditions

The best things you can do to avoid contracting COVID-19 is wear a mask, wash your hands, stay six feet apart from others when out in public and stay home if you don’t feel well.

Things you can do to limit the spread of COVID-19

Wear a mask

Wearing a mask can help slow the spread of COVID-19 in our community. The CDC recommends people age two and older wear masks in public settings and around people who don’t live in their household.​

Masks offer protection not only for you but for the people around you. Non-medical disposable masks and cloth masks are the recommended types of masks for the average person to wear. The CDC offers a comprehensive guide for wearing masks during COVID-19

Please be aware that a mask is NOT a substitute for social distancing. You should still wear a mask in addition to staying at least six feet apart from those who are not from your household in both indoor and outdoor spaces.

Wash your hands 

Washing your hands is one of the best ways to protect you and your family from getting sick. COVID-19 can spread when touching your eyes, nose, and mouth, preparing food and drinks, or touching objects and surfaces with unwashed hands. 

To prevent the spread of germs, you should also wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol to clean hands BEFORE and AFTER: 

• Touching your eyes, nose, or mouth
• Touching your mask
• Entering and leaving a public place 
• Touching an item or surface that may be frequently touched by other people, such as door handles, tables, gas pumps, shopping carts, or electronic cashier registers/screens

Stay home if you’re not feeling well

Lastly, if you’re experiencing any of the symptoms related to COVID-19 or are not feeling well, please stay home and take care. Staying home when you’re sick can help keep others from being potentially exposed to the virus or other illness.

When staying at home, make sure to monitor your health and watch for any developing fever (100.4◦F or higher), cough, shortness of breath, or other symptoms of COVID-19. If possible, avoid person-to-person contact with others, especially with people who are at higher risk of becoming very sick.

If you have any questions or need to consult with a specialist about COVID-19, please call our team at Dopson Family Medical Center at 904-259-7815.

COVID-19 Antibody Testing

Are you concerned that you may have had COVID-19 previously? Baker Rural Health Clinic is now offering COVID-19 antibody testing during regular hours of operation by appointment only.

An antibody test can assess if you have antibodies to the virus that causes COVID-19 or if you have had a previous infection. The results can help you and your healthcare provider make informed recommendations about your care. 

It can take 1 to 3 weeks after infection to make antibodies, so this test won’t show if you have a current infection. 

If you have any questions about COVID-19 antibody testing or would like to schedule an appointment, please call (904) 653-4700 ext. 5001.