COVID-19 Information

COVID-19 is a novel coronavirus that has not been previously identified in humans and can spread from person to person.

People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness.

These symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus:

• Fever
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Fatigue
• Chills
• Muscle pain
• Headache
• Congestion or Runny Nose
• Sore throat
• New loss of taste or smell
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea

If you experience any of these symptoms, we encourage you to schedule an appointment for a COVID-19 swab test or make a telemedicine appointment. We will be able to evaluate your symptoms and tell you the next steps to take.

Please be aware some people may have uncommon symptoms like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, conjunctivitis, signs of a stroke, or rashes such as hives, blister-type lesions, or blue finger tips and toes. Children may present with the signs and symptoms of Kawasaki’s Disease. Older individuals may also present with unusual symptoms such as confusion, sleeping more, dizziness, or decreased appetite.

If your symptoms become severe, call 911.

Two kinds of tests are currently available for COVID-19: a diagnostic test (PCR swab test) to identify active infection and a serology test to detect antibodies and assumed immunity. MD Now offers both tests at our many locations. Learn more about our COVID-19 testing capabilities.

For comprehensive testing information, please visit the CDC website.

The best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to COVID-19. It is thought Coronavirus is spread mainly from person-to-person who are in close contact through respiratory droplets produced from an infected person. To reduce the spread of COVID-19 everyone should:

• Wash their hands regularly. If soap and water is not readily available use hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.
• Avoid touching their eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick, stay home as much as possible and put distance between themselves and others.
• Cover their mouth and nose with a cloth face cover when around others.
• Cover coughs and sneezes with your elbow or a kleenex.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces daily.

Visit the CDC website for more tips on how to further protect yourself and others.

Social distancing means keeping space between yourself and others. To slow the spread of COVID-19 people should:

• Stay at least 6 feet or more apart
• Refrain from gathering in groups and avoid mass gatherings
• Stay out of crowded places
• Wear a mask if traveling with others in a car or on public transportation

Learn more about social distancing and how to protect yourself.

The CDC recommends that people wear a cloth face covering when social distancing practices are difficult to protect the people around you if you are infected but do not have symptoms. This will help slow the spread of COVID-19. Surgical masks and N-95 respirators are considered critical supplies and should be reserved for use by healthcare works and other first responders.

We encourage you to follow CDC’s guidance on how to disinfect your home to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

If someone is sick in your household or is asymptomatic but has tested positive for COVID-19, we suggest following CDC’s guidance to protect yourself and others in your home.

If you have a fever, cough or other symptoms you might have COVID-19. If you think you may have been exposed to COVID-19, contact MD Now or your healthcare provider and keep track of your symptoms. If you have an emergency warning sign, such as trouble breathing, seek emergency medical attention immediately.

To have your symptoms evaluated, take advantage of our MD Now Virtual Visits, so you can receive care in the comfort of your own home. We can take care of a wide range of health care concerns and will determine if you need to be tested for COVID-19.

If you need to seek care for yourself or for a member of your family, MD Now has got you covered.

• Schedule a virtual visit. Our physician-led team can assess your symptoms wherever you happen to be. We can take care of a wide range of health concerns without requiring a visit to our clinic.
• If you are symptomatic or think you may have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, schedule an appointment at one of our designated COVID-19 diagnostic testing sites that is conveniently located near you.
• If you want to know if you or any of your family members may have assumed immunity to COVID-19, just walk into one of our many clinics providing antibody testing.
• For all other urgent care needs walk-in anytime, 365 days a year at one of our many South Florida clinics offering urgent care services.

Yes. In addition to our standard infection control protocols, which include sanitizing exam rooms and tablets between patients and sanitizing common areas regularly throughout the day, we have taken additional steps to protect our patients and staff which include:

• Encouraging social distancing by asking patients to wait in their cars after check-in.
• Requiring all patients to wear masks.
• Designated COVID-19 testing clinics for performing diagnostic COVID-19 swab testing.
• Referring any patient with a respiratory illness to one of our designated COVID-19 swab testing clinics or to our virtual telehealth service.

Point-of-care or rapid tests are quick, and the results are usually available within 30 minutes. Although rapid tests can be convenient, they are often not as precise and accurate as lab-based tests and do not have the same sensitivity and specificity. MD Now only administers tests that are sent into our partnering lab for analysis to ensure we provide the most accurate results to our patients.

The IgG antibody test that we provide requires a simple blood draw and our diagnostic viral test is administered through a nasopharyngeal swab. Results from either test will be available in less than 3 days†. However, depending on when you came in to the clinic to get tested, results times may vary.

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• Florida Department of Health
• Food and Drug Administration