1. WHAT DO I DO IF I THINK I HAVE COVID-19?
Do NOT leave your home, except to get medical care.
Get tested for Covid-19 as soon as possible so that your close contacts know to quarantine and get tested themselves. A negative Covid-19 test does not rule out Covid-19 infection if you have symptoms. Many people are testing negative during the first 3 days of symptoms so if you are not feeling well, do not gather with other people and consider re-testing 1-2 days later.
If you have risk factors for severe Covid-19 infection then please contact my office as soon as possible in order to see if you may be eligible for monoclonal antibody or antiviral treatment.
http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/acd/ncorona2019/docs/MedicationSummary.pdf
Please view Los Angeles Department of Public Health instructions for isolation: http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/acd/docs/HomeisolationenCoV.pdf
2. I was exposed to someone who tested positive for Covid-19. What should I do?
Wear a highly protective mask (N95 or equivalent) around others for 10 days. Get tested 3-5 days after you were last exposed. Monitor your health for 10 days. If symptoms start, stay home and get tested.
http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/acd/ncorona2019/covidquarantine/
3. What should I do if someone in my household tested positive for Covid-19?
If possible, the individual infected with Covid-19 should isolate in a room separate from everyone else in the household. If this is not possible, then everyone who is able to should wear a high-quality face mask at home, eat meals separately from the infected person, and open windows and run a fan if possible in order to keep air flow through your home.
4. Who can get tested for Covid-19?
Anyone can get tested for Covid-19 through the City of Los Angeles. https://lacovidprod.service-now.com/rrs
I am referring all testing to free drive-through testing sites or recommend home rapid antigen Covid-19 tests (Abbott BinaxNOW, iHealth, Flowflex). If you have symptoms and test negative for Covid-19, you should test again after 1-2 days.
https://totaltestingsolutions.com
5. Where can I find reliable information about the current state of the pandemic?
For a clear and well-informed analysis of Covid-19 I highly recommend epidemiologist Dr. Katelyn Jelina’s website: https://yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com/
I also recommend Dr. Michael Osterholm’s podcast: https://www.osterholmupdate.com/podcast
6. Should I get the updated Covid-19 booster vaccine?
YES: If it has been at least 2 months since your last dose of Covid-19 vaccine and you have not had Covid-19 infection in the last 90 days.
http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/acd/ncorona2019/vaccine/hcwsignup/
I encourage everyone eligible to be vaccinated.
We do not have Covid-19 vaccines in our office.