Coronavirus

Information is available here for staying up to date on the coronavirus and managing medical care for your family within Novant Health UVA Health System.

Coronavirus FAQs

All community events and classes at our facilities and sponsored by us in the community are canceled until further notice, including lactation classes, facility tours and Baby Cafés. We encourage expecting moms to consider online Childbirth Education.

Sign up for online childbirth education

If you have traveled from an affected area, and you develop symptoms during that period such as fever, cough or trouble breathing, we recommend seeking medical advice by first calling your Novant Health UVA Health System provider before you go. This is so we can work on providing you a plan for care without potentially exposing others. While sick, avoid contact with people, don’t go out and delay any travel to reduce the possibility of spreading illness to others.

Yes. We understand this is a time of stress and uncertainty for many in our communities. Novant Health UVA Health System has been hard-at-work building on our preparedness plans and our infectious disease experts are closely monitoring this ever-evolving situation. The best thing you can do right now is stay informed with accurate information, stay calm and do what you can to reduce your chances of catching any respiratory viruses. This includes washing your hands and, if you have respiratory symptoms, calling your healthcare provider before arriving for an appointment to limit the spread of illness. For severe symptoms or a medical emergency, call 911.

Yes. The CDC recommends using alcohol-based hand sanitizers with more than 60% ethanol or 70% isopropanol. Washing your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds is equally effective.

Currently, it is not recommended that an asymptomatic individual wear a mask. One danger from wearing the same mask over and over again is that if the coronavirus contaminates the environment, it will stick to the mask and you could contaminate yourself. As the surgeon general of the U.S. said, please do not go and buy a lot of masks as the use of facemasks is crucial for health workers and other people who are taking care of someone infected with COVID-19 in close settings. You should only wear a mask if a healthcare professional recommends it.

Currently, no vaccine is available to prevent COVID-19 infection. The best way to prevent infection is to avoid exposure to this virus. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends everyday preventive actions to help limit the spread of respiratory viruses, including:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Stay home when you are sick.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

We understand that the virus spreads through close person-to-person contact. Much like influenza, when an infected person coughs or sneezes, respiratory droplets are produced with potential to affect those nearby. COVID-19 is also spread through contact with fecal matter.

For COVID-19 infections, reported illnesses have ranged from infected people with little to no symptoms to people becoming severely ill or even dying. Symptoms can include: fever, cough and shortness of breath. Symptoms of COVID-19 may appear in as few as two days or as long as 14 days after exposure.

The outbreak of a new coronavirus in late 2019 in Wuhan City, Hubei province, China, can now be found around the world, including the United States. The virus is now called SARSCoV-2 and the disease that causes it is called COVID-19.