SAN ANTONIO – The city has a new self-screening tool for COVID-19 located on Metro Health’s website.
City officials said while, it’s not a medical diagnosis, it can help inform people about whether they should receive a proper COVID-19 test and also can track illnesses in the city.
The tool asks for your ZIP code, your temperature, if you have any symptoms -- like cough or difficulty breathing -- and if you traveled or had close contact with someone who tested positive for the virus.
Based on the answers given, a result is delivered and makes a prediction if testing is needed.
“While this tool doesn’t replace professional medical care, we hope that it helps ease people’s minds if they feel they may have the symptoms of COVID-19,” said San Antonio Metro Health Director Dawn Emerick. “This webpage is a useful screening tool, to provide assurance and direction for possible next steps. However, it is important to note that not everyone needs to be tested”
Health officials have advised that unless a patient has severe symptoms, is elderly or has other underlying health conditions, anyone experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 should stay home, isolate, rest and recover.
Those who cannot afford a doctor’s visit are advised to call Metro Health’s COVID-19 hotline at (210) 207-5779 during operating hours which are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new virus, stands for coronavirus disease 2019. The disease first appeared in late 2019 in Wuhan, China, but spread around the world in early 2020, causing the World Health Organization to declare a pandemic in March.
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