The COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic is an 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.

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.

For in-person 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. We are also screening at the entrance with a thermal scanner and series of questions. Most importantly, we ask that you 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.

COVID-19 Testing

Due to the limited availability of COVID-19 tests in Central Texas for all healthcare organizations, UT Health Austin COVID-19 (coronavirus) drive-thru testing will continue to offer drive-through COVID testing next week. Due to test kit supply limitations and capacity constraints at the labs, UT Health Austin is limiting testing to symptomatic patients within 5 days of symptom onset and asymptomatic close contacts of confirmed positive cases (defined as those individuals exposed within less than 6 feet of a positive case for more than 15 minutes, without a face covering) at this time.

Antibody Testing

Antibody testing is limited to new and established UT Health Austin patients. Patients may call 1-833-UT-CARES (833-882-2737) to schedule a telehealth appointment with WorkLife to 1) determine if testing is appropriate and 2) discuss the implications of the test results for their individual situation.

Antibody testing is appropriate for anyone who has a high probability of yielding accurate results from the test (e.g., an individual who has not been able to maintain social distancing, consistent masking, hand washing, or exposure to persons with COVID-19)
Someone who has had symptoms resembling COVID-19 at some point this year
Someone who has had an exposure to someone who had COVID-19, or has traveled to a highly endemic area for COVID-19 (e.g., China, Italy, New York, Seattle, etc.) within the past 14 days
Anyone who is actively having symptoms of COVID-19, particularly within 14 days since symptom onset, should be scheduled for PCR testing (nasal swab) rather than antibody 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.

UT Health Austin has suspended elective surgeries and procedures (operations) which require an overnight stay. Day surgery and those surgeries scheduled at an ambulatory surgery center will proceed pending the results of COVID-19 pre-screening. If you’re surgery is cancelled, you will be contacted by our surgery schedulers to re-schedule when we are able to resume elective surgery.