Symptoms and Treatment

 

Symptoms of COVID-19 in people who have been exposed can include fever, cough and shortness of breath. The symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as long as 14 days after exposure. There is no treatment for COVID-19, and most people will not need hospital care unless they are having trouble breathing, or if they develop moderate to severe respiratory illness.

Here are some things you can do if you are having symptoms:

  • Learn more about what could be causing your illness by using our Riverside Symptom Checker.
  • Get an e-visit through MyChart. This is a quick, confidential, easy process. All you have to do is complete and submit a COVID-19 assessment. Your primary care provider will evaluate and prepare a treatment plan, and when appropriate order tests and write prescriptions. 
  • Call Riverside Nurse 24/7 at 800-675-6368. Our nurses are trained in telephone triage, and they can provide information on what to do next.

Seeking medical care

Please call your doctor's office, urgent care or emergency department first to let us know you are coming. You can also call Riverside Nurse 24/7 at 800-675-6368. There is no treatment for COVID-19, and most people will not need hospital care unless they are having trouble breathing, or if they develop moderate to severe respiratory illness.

Here’s what to expect when you enter a Riverside facility:

  • Screening and masking are required for everyone.
  • We will assess your condition and ask questions to learn more about your travel history. We would also need to know if you have had close contact with someone who has been confirmed to have COVID-19. These factors help us determine if testing is needed. Only patients who meet criteria outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would be tested for COVID-19.
  • We would make a medical determination if you need to be hospitalized or not. If you are discharged to home, we may collect a specimen for testing if it is deemed appropriate. Most people will be able to recover from COVID-19 at home. The CDC advises that you have enough household items and groceries on hand to enable you to stay at home for a period of time.

When testing is appropriate

Only patients who meet criteria outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would be tested for COVID-19. Testing is not appropriate for anyone who is not showing symptoms, regardless of any other factors, including travel history. 

The COVID-19 testing process is conducted with the assistance of the Virginia Department of Health. Riverside can also partner with private labs to conduct testing. It can take hours or even days to get test results back, and all positive results must be confirmed by the CDC.

VDH updates its website every weekday with the number of people tested and the results. To protect patient confidentiality, VDH will not provide any additional details about individuals undergoing testing. View the VDH site.