COVID-19 Patient Information

Caring for you & keeping you safe. Always.

You need routine care to stay healthy. As always, UTMB is here to help. Our expert physicians and healthcare providers are ready to meet your needs. If you need a COVID-19 vaccine, booster, or test, you can conveniently schedule an appointment at a clinic near you.

Because the federal Public Health Emergency designation related to COVID-19 has expired, there may be a charge to you for these services, if your insurance does not cover it.

If you are uninsured or underinsured and need financial assistance for the COVID vaccine, please contact your local health district or learn more about a Health and Human Services program that may assist you.

Vaccine & Boosters

Schedule a COVID-19 Vaccine
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COVID-19 Testing

Because the federal Public Health Emergency designation related to COVID-19 has expired, you may be charged for this test.

Schedule a COVID-19 Test
START HERE:

Covid Symptoms: Schedule Urgent Care Visit

Safety Requirements

Resources

Explanation of the most common COVID-19 test results

Using MyChart is the best, most easily printable way to access your COVID test results; you'll get a MyChart activation code and sign-up link when you register (at your appointment) with an email address. Or, call (832) 632-6731 to get a copy sent to you.

COVID-19 Patient Care Info

  • Negative Antibody screen results (.negativeantibodycovid)

    Interpretation/Recommendations

    Your antibody test result was negative. Antibodies against the virus are a marker of a previous infection. A negative result means you do not have antibodies from an infection with the virus that causes COVID 19, but this does not rule out a currently active infection. It typically takes between 1 to 3 weeks after infection to develop antibodies. You could still get sick if you have been exposed to the virus recently. Take precautions such as wearing a mask and washing your hands frequently. If you currently have symptoms, please speak with your primary care provider or call the access center at (409) 772-2222 or toll free (800) 917-8906, as you will likely need an additional test called a viral test which uses respiratory samples from inside your nose to detect the active virus. Please note: There are currently no approved treatment recommendations for any patients that are not presenting with symptoms. Therefore, it is not recommended that you be seen by a provider unless you are displaying symptoms.

    Updated 1/29/21

  • Positive antibody screen results (.positiveantibodycovid)

    Interpretation/Recommendations

    Your antibody test result was positive. Antibodies against the virus are a marker of a previous infection. A positive result means you have antibodies from an infection with the virus that causes COVID-19 or a similar virus from the same family of virus’ called coronavirus. It is not known if having antibodies will protect you from getting infected again or how long these antibodies will provide protection against an infection. You should continue to protect yourself by wearing a mask and washing your hands frequently. If you do not have symptoms, you likely do NOT have an active infection and no further follow up is required. If you currently have symptoms, please speak with your primary care provider or call the access center at (409) 772-2222 or toll free (800) 917-8906, as you will likely need an additional test called a viral test which uses respiratory samples from inside your nose to detect the active virus. Please note: There are currently no approved treatment recommendations for any patients that are not presenting with symptoms. Therefore, it is not recommended that you be seen by a provider unless you are displaying symptoms.

    Updated 1/29/21

  • Negative molecular/nucleic acid/PCR results (.covidnegative)

    Interpretation/Recommendations

    Your COVID-19 testing results were negative. At this time, the COVID-19 virus was NOT found in your sample. Continue to protect yourself by washing your hands frequently.

    The most up to date CDC guidance about quarantine/ isolation may be found on the  CDC website.

    If you have not had symptoms, you may return to work immediately UNLESS* someone in your household or close contacts has recently tested positive. If you are not fully vaccinated including your booster and have had close contact with a Positive COVID-19 patient within 5 days, as defined by the CDC, then you should quarantine at home for 5 days from LAST CONTACT, to allow for an incubation period. If you are fully vaccinated, you do not need to quarantine but should wear a mask for 10 days and get tested in 5 days.

    If you had symptoms, you may return to work or school when you are feeling better and have not had a fever for 24 hours or more without taking fever reducing medications such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen and are 5 days from your first symptoms. Wear a mask until it has been greater than 10 days from when your first symptoms appeared. If you are a UTMB or contract employee or student, please refer to the student and employee COVID website for more information.

    If you feel you are not getting better, please call the Access Center at (409) 772-2222 or toll free (800) 917-8906 to schedule a telehealth visit or face to face visit with a provider. Most acute illnesses resolve within 7 days.

    Updated 1/3/22

  • Positive molecular/nucleic acid/PCR results (.covidpositive)

    Interpretation/Recommendations

    General guidance includes release from isolation when the following conditions are met:

    • At least 24 hours have passed since recovery defined as resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications and
    • Improvement in symptoms (e.g., cough, shortness of breath); and,
    • At least 5 days have passed since symptoms first appeared or the first positive test if symptoms have not developed or worsened since testing, at which point, use date symptoms began.
    • Continue to wear a face mask until 10 days have passed since your first test or first symptoms appeared.
    • If you experience a worsening of symptoms or recover and then redevelop symptoms, please speak with a provider for further evaluation.

    Updated 1/3/22

  • Repeat Positive ( .2covidpositive)

    Interpretation/Recommendations

    Your COVID-19 sample remains positive. Please be advised that it is unclear, at this time, how long the virus remains detectable in samples. It appears it could be up to 12 weeks before a sample becomes negative. Repeat testing is no longer routinely recommended for any reason due to the prolonged detection of the virus in samples without evidence of transmission. The date of your first positive test and your current symptoms will determine when you may discontinue isolation.

    For further guidance on when you can expect to discontinue isolation and return to work, please visit the  CDC website.

    General guidance includes release from isolation when the following conditions are met:

    • At least 24 hours have passed since recovery defined as resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications and
    • Improvement in symptoms (e.g., cough, shortness of breath); and,
    • At least 5 days have passed since symptoms first appeared or the first positive test if symptoms have not developed or worsened since testing, at which point, use date symptoms began.
    • Continue to wear a face mask until 10 days have passed since your first test or first symptoms appeared.
    • If you experience a worsening of symptoms or recover and then redevelop symptoms, please speak with a provider for further evaluation.

    Updated 1/3/22

Frequently Asked Questions

COVID-19 Vaccine Research

Help our scientists in their efforts to find a vaccine for COVID-19. Our Sealy Institute for Vaccine Sciences is recruiting healthy volunteers ages 18-85 for a COVID-19 vaccine study. Participants must be available for about 7 scheduled visits over 24 mos.

Interested? Call (409) 772-5278 or (832) 340-2313, or email sivsctp@utmb.edu.

image of adolescent brunette girl with glasses and a red and white striped shirt coughing while sitting at a table covered in books and notebooks.

Respiratory viruses and back-to-school

With schools and fall extracurriculars now in full swing, so too, is the spread of germs.

Currently, communities in the area are seeing an uptick in individuals with COVID-19 and the symptoms they’re exhibiting include anything from nothing at all or runny nose and cough to laryngitis, diarrhea and vomiting.

To stay well and reduce the number of cases, UTMB pediatrician Dr. Manuela Murray is encouraging individuals to follow what she’s calling “common sense” guidance.

“If you’re sick, don’t go out and contaminate everyone,” she said. “It’s OK to call in sick and miss work or school, you deserve to prioritize your health.”

For those testing positive, the official recommendation is to stay home for five days and then wear a mask for five days after that; however, Dr. Murray knows that’s not always going to happen, so to protect yourself and help diminish the spread of germs, she recommends traditional best-practices such as thorough, regular hand washing and of course covering your mouth when you sneeze or cough.

COVID Boosters, Flu shots and RSV

For individuals interested in COVID vaccines, a booster will be available later this fall to offer some additional protection.

“The COVID booster is similar to the flu shot in that the original vaccine is updated to offer protection against current variants for each respective virus, and you can get them at the same time,” says Murray, who mentioned a two-in-one combo flu and COVID vaccine may be a possibility in the future.

It’s typically recommended to get your flu shots by the end of October each year; however, earlier occurrences and waves of the flu have been documented in recent years, so talk with your health care provider about what’s right for you and your family.

Typically designated from October to April, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) season – which overlaps with flu season – is also on the horizon. A virus that can be particularly detrimental to babies and the elderly, RSV can cause infected individuals to experience extremely low oxygen levels and dehydration, which can sometimes lead to hospitalization or death.

“From my personal experience, being a mom and a pediatrician, the only time in my life that I have actually been scared about one of my kids being sick was when my oldest daughter had RSV when she was five months old ,and she wasn't even the sickest of all the patients I have ever seen,” says Murray to help put into perspective the severity of the illness.

Unlike the flu and COVID-19, medications or vaccines for RSV have not traditionally been readily available; however, that should be changing soon, as newly approved injections and vaccines are slated to become available more widely throughout the fall for certain vulnerable groups, including those 60 years of age and older, women at 32 to 36 weeks of pregnancy and any baby (full or pre-term) born or less than eight months old going into their first RSV season.

More information on the budding offerings will be shared once available, but in the meantime, it’s advised to direct any questions to your health care team.

Prioritize your health, no matter the season

Ultimately, going into this busy time of year, it’s important to keep your health top of mind. From getting enough sleep, to ensuring the foods you’re consuming are nutrient dense, there’s lots of steps you and your loved ones can take to stay well.

This downloadable back-to-school action plan is one way to be an active participant in prioritizing your health.

Additionally, more resources are available on the UTMB Health back-to-school webpage.

View Taylor Little's profile

Dr. Manuela Murray is an assistant professor and provider with the Department of Pediatrics.

UTMB Health Pediatric Primary Care, Bay Colony