CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19: Learn how to protect yourself and get care

Updated April 21, 2020

The novel coronavirus, which causes a disease known as COVID-19, is spreading from person to person in parts of the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention the potential public health threat posed by COVID-19 is very high. At this time, however, most people in the United States will have little immediate risk of exposure to this virus as it is NOT currently spreading widely in the United States.

Current global circumstances suggest it is likely that this virus will cause a pandemic, which is the worldwide spread of a new disease. This is a rapidly evolving situation and the CDC’s risk assessment will be updated as needed.

Symptoms

Patients with COVID-19 have mild to severe respiratory illness with symptoms that can include fever, cough, and shortness of breath, according to the CDC. There is no specific treatment for COVID-19. Most infected people will recover on their own.

Tips

It’s still cold and flu season, and the same practices that stop the spread of these common illnesses are recommended:

Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Alcohol hand sanitizers are also effective.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.
Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
Stay home if you are sick (except to get medical care). Keep sick children home from school or daycare.
Cough or sneeze into a tissue or your elbow. If you use a tissue, wash your hands afterwards.
Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces (like doorknobs and light switches). Regular household cleaners are effective.
Get plenty of rest, drink plenty of fluids, eat healthy foods, and manage your stress to keep your immunity strong.

If you or a family member has traveled recently to an area of risk, or if you think you may have been exposed to the virus and have symptoms of respiratory illness, you should call the advice number on your Kaiser Permanente membership card for further instructions. It’s important to call us ahead of time rather than coming directly in to one of our facilities or making an appointment online. Calling ahead helps us direct you to the most appropriate care, and take precautions to protect other members, patients, and employees.

Guidance for people at higher risk for severe COVID-19 illness: Public health agencies recommend that people at higher risk of severe illness should stay home and away from large groups of people as much as possible, including public places with lots of people and large gatherings where there will be close contact with others. This includes concert venues, conventions, sporting events, and crowded social gatherings.

People at higher risk include those:

Over 60 years of age
With underlying health conditions including include heart disease, lung disease, or diabetes
With weakened immune systems
Who are pregnant

There is no evidence that children are more susceptible to COVID-19. In fact, most confirmed cases have occurred in adults. Caregivers of children with underlying health conditions should consult their doctor about whether their children should stay home. Anyone who has questions about whether their condition puts them at risk for COVID-19 should call the advice number on their Kaiser Permanente membership card.

Care at home

To make sure you get the high-quality care you need, we’re increasing the availability of video and phone visits. This allows you to get great care without being close to people who are showing symptoms.

To schedule a phone or video visit, sign in to the Kaiser Permanente app or kp.org.
In addition to phone and video visits, members who have flu-like symptoms and are 18 or older can also complete an e-visit to get online care and advice, be tested for coronavirus, and get treatment for symptoms if necessary.
If you have an in-person visit scheduled, it may be changed to a video or phone visit to help reduce exposure for you and other patients.
If you have any questions, feel free to call or email your doctor’s office.

Testing and costs

We will screen members and do a quick medical assessment at our South Baltimore, Gaithersburg, Largo, Tyson’s Corner, Capitol Hill and Woodbridge Medical Centers, as well as provide COVID-19 testing at our Triage Surge Assessment Areas. Members must have a doctor’s order and appointment for the COVID-19 test.

Effective immediately, Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States will waive cost sharing for testing, diagnosis, and treatment of COVID-19. That means we will not bill members a copay, coinsurance, or deductible for services to test, diagnose, and treat COVID-19. We believe that cost should not be a barrier to screening or testing for our members who may have been affected by this virus. Kaiser Permanente will not charge member cost-sharing (including, but not limited to, co-pays, deductibles, and coinsurance) for all medically necessary screening and testing for COVID-19. This policy applies to the cost of the visit, associated lab tests, and radiology services at our hospital, emergency department, urgent care, and provider offices where the purpose of the visit is to be screened and/or tested for COVID-19.

Prescriptions

It’s a good idea to fill your prescriptions through our mail order service, especially during the COVID-19 outbreak, not only because you can avoid standing in line at the pharmacy but also because with most prescriptions you can get 3 months’ supply for the price of 2 months. Sign up on kp.org/rxrefill and receive your medications in less than 7 days. For urgent prescriptions, you should visit your closest Kaiser Permanente medical center pharmacy.

We also have added same-day home delivery for critical medications. In addition, we have added curb-side pharmacy pick-up at all open pharmacy locations.

Masks

The CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies) especially in areas of significant community-based transmission. Accordingly, members and patients should bring and wear their own masks when they come to our facilities. Members with fever, cough, shortness of breath or flu symptoms will be given a mask upon entering the facility.

Kaiser Permanente is committed to the health and safety of our members, patients, employees, and physicians. We have been working on confronting highly infectious diseases for years, and we are confident we can safely treat patients who have been infected with this virus, with very little risk to our other patients, members and employees. Staff at all our medical centers regularly drill using various disaster scenarios, including detection of infectious diseases, and have been advised about the CDC protocols to be used with this coronavirus. Additionally, as in all cases of emerging infectious diseases, the CDC’s recommendations could change, so we are monitoring and following them closely. Please know you are in good hands with us.

For more information, please watch these videos:

What is COVID-19 and What Are the Symptoms?