The COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic is a rapidly evolving situation. This page will be updated as information is made available.

Reviewed and Updated by: UT Health Austin’s Clinical Quality Manager

Your safety and health are our top priority. Therefore, to manage significantly larger patient volumes, UT Health Austin recommends patients stay home if you have mild-to-moderate symptoms, use home monitoring and care for those symptoms. Please note that people with COVID-19 experience mild symptoms, similar to the common cold. Currently, there are no antiviral medications to treat Coronavirus and antibiotics are not useful for treating viral infections such as Coronavirus.

If you are experiencing new, or worsening, of any of the following symptoms or, if you suspect you may have been exposed to COVID-19, before going to an urgent care or the ER, we recommend you call your doctor or healthcare provider’s office.

Fever
Cough
Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
Chills
Repeated shaking with chills
Muscle pain
Headache
Sore Throat
New loss of taste or smell

When to Seek Medical Attention:

If you develop any of these emergency warning signs* for COVID-19 get medical attention immediately:

Trouble breathing
Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
New confusion or inability to arouse
Bluish lips or face

*This list is not all inclusive. Please consult your medical provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning to you.

Call 911 if you have a medical emergency: Notify the operator that you have, or think you might have, COVID-19. If possible, put on a cloth face covering or surgical mask before medical help arrives.

Changes to upcoming clinic appointments

In accordance with public health guidance, we’ve made some important changes to our clinic operations to keep you and our staff safe. UT Health Austin is following the most up-to-date CDC screening guidelines for Coronavirus detection. These guidelines are subject to change and we will update this page as needed. Click here to learn what other measures we are taking to protect our patients and staff.

We will contact you to reschedule clinic appointments that are not urgent. This includes:

Routine checkups or wellness visits
Non-urgent specialty visits and surgical care

We will call you if we need to reschedule your visit. To serve the best interests of our staff, patients, and community, we are innovating with care delivery by developing video visits and telephone options.

Some appointments can’t be delayed or done via video. For those appointments, we are doing everything possible to keep you safe while delivering the care you urgently need. If you have an appointment at the clinic, patients are required to use a face covering or mask to enter the building. If you do not have a mask, you will be given one before entering the clinic. Most importantly, we ask you to call first if you have a fever, cough or trouble breathing before you come into a clinic. For those who have mild symptoms, it is best to use our home care instructions.

Non-urgent surgeries and procedures

UT Health Austin is beginning to schedule and reschedule non-urgent surgeries and procedures (operations). You will be contacted by our surgery schedulers to re-schedule your surgery. Pre-screening will be provided a few days prior to surgery.

Coronavirus Testing

Due to the limited availability of COVID-19 tests for all health care organizations, UT Health Austin COVID-19 (coronavirus) drive-through testing focuses on symptomatic health care workers, established UT Health Austin patients, individuals who are known contacts of people who tested positive for COVID-19 through a test performed by UT Health Austin, and at-risk individuals who are referred to us by Austin Public Health, The University of Texas at Austin and our partners in the Ascension/Seton system.

Price Transparency: Requirement to Post Cash Prices Online for COVID-19 Diagnostic Testing

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act includes a number of provisions to provide relief to the public from issues caused by the pandemic, including price transparency for COVID -19 testing. Section 3202(b) of the CARES Act requires providers of diagnostic tests for COVID-19 to post the cash price for a COVID-19 diagnostic test on their website from March 27 through the end of the public health emergency. For more information, see the FAQs.

At UT Health Austin the self-pay cost for COIVD-19 screening and testing is $80.00 plus an additional lab charge for Clinical Pathology Laboratories of $70.00.