covid-19 Testing
Testing is available in many locations throughout Connecticut. Anyone experiencing symptoms, or who would like to discuss testing for other reasons (exposure, work related, return to college, etc.), please contact our office to discuss the next steps.
Our office is currently testing symptomatic and asymptomatic patients for COVID-19 at the car, after a telemedicine appointment with one of our providers. Please call our office to make an appointment.
The test our office uses is a nasal swab PCR. Sensitivity is ~98% and time to results is currently ~1-2 days (subject to change). Currently we are not using a rapid result antigen test, because they are not as sensitive with ~85 sensitivity. Serum antibody testing is also NOT recommended for diagnostic purposes, but is being used for those who have had COVID and want to donate plasma or for seroprevalence research purposes. Ongoing validation of Antibody testing continues, dependent upon community prevalence of COVID.
For a full list of up-to-date testing sites accepting patients, please click the link below.
Other COVID Testing Sites - APPOINTMENTS & PRESCRIPTIONS REQUIRED
Norwalk Hospital Emergency - 34 Maple Street, Norwalk, CT 06856. Hours of operation are M-F 7-11am. Types of patients: Symptomatic and asymptomatic
Brookfield Patient Service Center - 401 Federal Road, Brookfield, CT 06804. Hours of operation are Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday 1-4pm. Types of patients : Symptomatic and asymptomatic
preparing for your appointment
Telemedicine Appointments
How To Prepare for a Telemedicine Appointment
Per current CDC guidelines, all sick patient visits will be done via Telemedicine.
- Connecting - The provider will send a link (to your previously specified phone # or email) 5 minutes before to 5 minutes after the scheduled appointment time. Please be ready and waiting to connect in a well lit, quiet area. Click here for technical information to ensure your device is ready.
- Write down all of your child's symptoms, including how long they have had them and if they are getting better or worse.
- How are your child's symptoms affecting their...eating, sleeping, and other activities? For example, are they drinking fluids, playful, consolable, or are they just crying all the time?
- Make sure you have a flashlight handy in case the provider wants to take a look at your child's throat. For little ones, please practice looking in their mouth prior to the visit so they know what to expect.
- Weigh your child - For little ones weigh yourself then weigh yourself with your child and do the math.
- Check your child's temperature
- Write down all medicines your child is taking
- Write down any questions you have, as you might forget them during the visit.
- Notify us of any demographic changes - address, phone number, insurance. We must ensure that current information is being sent to testing facilities, if needed.
- Review the Telemedicine Consent
Well Care Appointments
Well care appointments are still important to continue, when at all possible. Young children, especially, need to get physicals and vaccines that protect them from illnesses much more serious to them than Coronavirus. We have implemented procedures to keep them and you safe. We are following appropriate CDC recommendations, cleaning intensely and often.
How To Prepare for a Visit to Our Office
- Travel - Have you traveled from any of the advisory states listed on the CT.gov website within the past 14 days? If yes, please contact our office to reschedule your appointment.
- Visitors - Have you been exposed to or had anyone stay with you that has traveled from any of the advisory states listed on the CT.gov website within the the past 14 days? If yes, please contact our office to reschedule your appointment.
- Call our office when you arrive in the parking lot - Please call our office at (203) 426-3267 from the parking lot when you arrive - our staff will guide you from there. Make sure to report anyone feeling ill and what their symptoms are.
- Wear a Face Covering - To follow the advice of the CDC and our Governor, we ask that anyone, 2 years of age or older, wear a face covering when coming into the office. For infants, please place a light blanket over their carrier. These face coverings are only until you are in the exam room, then they can be removed. If a mask is not available or a little one is having trouble, please try using a tissue, sleeve or blanket.
- Assessment Forms - Forms are available on line, please click here to go to our forms page to print and complete any necessary forms for your child's visit. If you don't have access to a printer, we will have copies available in the office. During this time, we are accepting forms via email at ncpnurse@gmail.com. Please DO NOT communicate anything emergent via this email, as it is not checked regularly.
- Who should attend the appointment - Please only bring the child being seen. Siblings are discouraged to attend, unless absolutely necessary. Please also be aware that anyone that comes to the appointment will be required to stay in the exam room.
Vaccine Only Appointments
Vaccines are still very important to have during this time, protecting children from illnesses much more serious to them than Coronavirus.
To reduce the number of patients entering the office, we can administer vaccines in the car, in the parking lot of the office.
How To Prepare for a vaccine only visit
- Travel - Have you traveled from any of the advisory states listed on the CT.gov website within the past 14 days? If yes, please contact our office to reschedule your appointment.
- Visitors - Have you been exposed to or had anyone stay with you that has traveled from any of the advisory states listed on the CT.gov website within the the past 14 days? If yes, please contact our office to reschedule your appointment.
- Call our office when you arrive in the parking lot - Please call our office at (203) 426-3267 from the parking lot when you arrive. Make sure to report anyone feeling ill and what their symptoms are.
- Make sure the child receiving the vaccine(s) is sitting in the seat closest to the door. It is not safe for staff to climb into a car or reach in the back.
This new procedure is just another way we are adapting to the current times. If you, or your child would rather have the vaccine(s) in the office, we will be more than happy to accommodate.
Plasma & Blood Donation
Nuvance - Donating Plasma
American Red Cross - Donating Plasma or Blood
American Red Cross - Donating Plasma or Blood
In order to donate, a person must have had a positive COVID-19 test, be symptom-free for at least 14 days with a repeat negative swab or 28 days symptom-free with no need for a repeat swab. Click on the link below to learn more and to sign-up today.
American Red Cross - Donating Plasma or Blood
American Red Cross - Donating Plasma or Blood
American Red Cross - Donating Plasma or Blood
In order to donate, a person must be 17 years of age, weigh a minimum of 110 lbs. (or meet the requirement if older), be in good health, and have a prior verified diagnosis of COVID-19, but are now symptom free and fully recovered. Click on the link below to learn more and to sign-up today.
CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) information
IMPORTANT RESOURCES
IMPORTANT COMMUNICATION FROM OUR OFFICE
Community Responsibility: The CDC and Health Department are trying to limit the spread, or at least slow it down. Self-quarantine, containment areas and social distancing are implemented for that purpose. Please follow the policies and procedures put in place for all our safety
The best way to stay healthy is practicing good hand washing, remembering not to touch your face, and social distancing.
FAQ
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF COVID-19? It is important to emphasize the risk of serious illness from COVID-19 remains low. Most infected people will experience mild upper respiratory symptoms, including cough, fever, difficulty breathing/shortness of breath. Some people, including the elderly and those with COPD, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, are at greater risk and may require more intensive care and/or hospitalization. Please go to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website, here, to learn more about people at higher risk of contracting COVID-19.
What should I do if I think I am experiencing symptoms of COVID-19?
First, limit your interactions with others as much as possible. Call our office to discuss concerns and symptoms at (203) 426-3267. We are scheduling telemedicine appointments for all sick patients.
Please be sure to report any of the following:
- cough, congestion, fever, difficulty breathing/shortness of breath, stomach upset, diarrhea, rash
- If there has been any close contact with someone who is suspected to have or confirmed to have COVID-19
- Travel history
Can I be tested for COVID-19?
Yes, our office is currently testing for COVID-19 at the car, after a telemedicine appointment with one of our providers. Please call our office to make an appointment.
What Should I do If someone in my household gets sick?
Information from the CDC on caring for someone confirmed or under investigation for COVID-19
Household members, intimate partners, and caregivers in a nonhealthcare setting may have close contact with a person with symptomatic, laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 or a person under investigation. Close contacts should monitor their health; they should call their healthcare provider right away if they develop symptoms suggestive of COVID-19 (e.g., fever, cough, shortness of breath) (see Interim US Guidance for Risk Assessment and Public Health Management of Persons with Potential Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Exposure in Travel-associated or Community Settings.)
Close contacts should also follow these recommendations:
- Make sure that you understand and can help the patient follow their healthcare provider’s instructions for medication(s) and care. You should help the patient with basic needs in the home and provide support for getting groceries, prescriptions, and other personal needs.
- Monitor the patient’s symptoms. If the patient is getting sicker, call his or her healthcare provider and tell them that the patient has laboratory-confirmed COVID-19. This will help the healthcare provider’s office take steps to keep other people in the office or waiting room from getting infected. Ask the healthcare provider to call the local or state health department for additional guidance. If the patient has a medical emergency and you need to call 911, notify the dispatch personnel that the patient has, or is being evaluated for COVID-19.
- Household members should stay in another room or be separated from the patient as much as possible. Household members should use a separate bedroom and bathroom, if available.
- Prohibit visitors who do not have an essential need to be in the home.
- Household members should care for any pets in the home. Do not handle pets or other animals while sick. For more information, see COVID-19 and Animals.
- Make sure that shared spaces in the home have good air flow, such as by an air conditioner or an opened window, weather permitting.
- Perform hand hygiene frequently. Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains 60 to 95% alcohol, covering all surfaces of your hands and rubbing them together until they feel dry. Soap and water should be used preferentially if hands are visibly dirty.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
- The patient should wear a facemask when you are around other people. If the patient is not able to wear a facemask (for example, because it causes trouble breathing), you, as the caregiver, should wear a mask when you are in the same room as the patient.
- Wear a disposable facemask and gloves when you touch or have contact with the patient’s blood, stool, or body fluids, such as saliva, sputum, nasal mucus, vomit, urine.
- Throw out disposable facemasks and gloves after using them. Do not reuse.
- When removing personal protective equipment, first remove and dispose of gloves. Then, immediately clean your hands with soap and water or alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Next, remove and dispose of facemask, and immediately clean your hands again with soap and water or alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
- Avoid sharing household items with the patient. You should not share dishes, drinking glasses, cups, eating utensils, towels, bedding, or other items. After the patient uses these items, you should wash them thoroughly (see below “Wash laundry thoroughly”).
- Clean all “high-touch” surfaces, such as counters, tabletops, doorknobs, bathroom fixtures, toilets, phones, keyboards, tablets, and bedside tables, every day. Also, clean any surfaces that may have blood, stool, or body fluids on them.
- Use a household cleaning spray or wipe, according to the label instructions. Labels contain instructions for safe and effective use of the cleaning product including precautions you should take when applying the product, such as wearing gloves and making sure you have good ventilation during use of the product.
- Wash laundry thoroughly.
- Immediately remove and wash clothes or bedding that have blood, stool, or body fluids on them.
- Wear disposable gloves while handling soiled items and keep soiled items away from your body. Clean your hands (with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer) immediately after removing your gloves.
- Read and follow directions on labels of laundry or clothing items and detergent. In general, using a normal laundry detergent according to washing machine instructions and dry thoroughly using the warmest temperatures recommended on the clothing label.
- Place all used disposable gloves, facemasks, and other contaminated items in a lined container before disposing of them with other household waste. Clean your hands (with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer) immediately after handling these items. Soap and water should be used preferentially if hands are visibly dirty.
- Discuss any additional questions with your state or local health department or healthcare provider. Check available hours when contacting your local health department.
To see the entire web page, visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/guidance-prevent-spread.html