If you have been exposed or think you have been exposed, it is critical to self-quarantine and monitor for any symptom development. Call Tryon Medical Partners before coming into the office, or use our virtual visit option. If you have been exposed and are asymptomatic, we recommend testing no earlier than four days after exposure. Testing four to seven days after exposure ensures a more accurate result.
The current list of symptoms for COVID-19 per the CDC is as follows:
If you are showing symptoms, you should be tested no earlier than 48 hours from the time your symptoms began. The ideal time to be tested is when you have been symptomatic for three days. This ensures a more accurate result. Testing too soon leads to misleading false negative results.
Tryon Medical Partners has two satellite locations to provide greater access to evaluation and testing for patients. To access our remote testing locations, you must be prescreened by phone or via Virtual Urgent Care. If remote testing is appropriate, you will be scheduled for an appointment for our remote testing locations to meet our dedicated team of Tryon Medical Partners doctors and staff for an evaluation and diagnostic testing. You may first be given another diagnostic test, such as strep or flu (once those tests become available later this fall).
The only COVID-19 diagnostic test we currently use is the PCR test administered via nasopharyngeal swab, proven to be 100% accurate.
Test turnaround time is usually 30 to 48 hours, but can take longer depending on the volume of tests.
Learn more about how Tryon Medical Partners is handling COVID-19 antibody testing.
If someone is showing any of these signs, seek emergency medical care immediately
YES! The CDC says to wear cloth face coverings in public settings when around people not living in your household and particularly where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain, such as grocery stores, pharmacies, and gas stations. Cloth face coverings may slow the spread of the virus and help people who may have the virus and do not know it from transmitting it to others.
COVID-19 can be spread by people who do not have symptoms and do not know they are infected. That’s why it’s important for everyone to practice social distancing (staying at least six feet away from other people) and wear cloth face coverings in public settings. Cloth face coverings provide an extra layer to help prevent the respiratory droplets from traveling in the air and to other people.
We are bombarded daily with news and information about coronavirus. While this concern tops everyone’s list, maintaining your overall health and wellness is extremely important! Please do not hesitate to visit the doctor, either in-person or virtually, and care for your health needs at this time. If you are sick, call the Tryon Medical Partners office before coming in, noting our in-office safety guidelines. We will assess your symptoms and risk, and determine the best next steps to help you.
Patients who are at high risk for clinical severity of COVID-19 include those who are 65 years and older, or who have chronic lung disease, moderate to severe asthma, heart disease, obesity, BMI greater than 30, or other underlying, poorly controlled chronic health conditions such as diabetes, renal failure and liver disease. Those who are immunocompromised are also at greater risk.
Beyond having these at-risk individuals follow all the recommendations above, we can also support them in a variety of ways.
The CDC provides information for travelers. For even more information, the U.S. Department of State provides information to assess risk in travel including travel advisories. Tryon physicians have also recommended options for safer local travel.
The key to slowing the spread of COVID-19 is to practice social distancing. While school is out, children should not have in-person playdates with children from other households. If children are playing outside their own homes, it is essential that they remain six feet from anyone who is not part of their household. Some children with certain underlying medical conditions are at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19. For more information, see the CDC’s Help Stop the Spread of COVID-19 in Children.
On January 30, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared coronavirus a global health emergency. Being a new strain, information about coronavirus is still developing but cases have ranged from mild illness to death. While this strain is new, coronavirus is a large family of viruses that most often infect animal species, though they can spread from animals to humans.
Cases are increasing exponentially. To see the numbers reported in North Carolina, click here. For South Carolina case numbers, click here. The CDC continues to release new information on U.S. cases and their geography.
In healthcare settings across the United States, donated blood is a lifesaving, essential part of caring for patients. The need for donated blood is constant, and blood centers are open and in urgent need of donations. CDC encourages people who are well to continue to donate blood if they are able, even if they are practicing social distancing because of COVID-19. Tryon Medical Partners works with The Blood Connection periodically to host blood drives that offer complementary COVID-19 testing.