A: The International Society for Heart and Lung Transplant (ISHLT) has issued a statement supporting patients with advanced heart and lung disease to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Transplant candidates are encouraged to get vaccinated while they are waiting for a transplant and to be fully vaccinated at least two weeks before transplantation surgery.
A: The CDC indicates that people can receive the COVID-19 vaccine at the same time as another vaccine such as the shingles or influenza vaccine. Learn more.
People who have a medical condition or taking medications that weaken their immune system many not be protected even if vaccinated and should continue to take all precautions recommended for unvaccinated people. The CDC states that those with weakened immune systems or living in households where someone is unvaccinated or at higher risk for
A pulse oximeter is a device used to estimate the amount of oxygen carried in the blood and pulse rate.
Multiple variants of the COVID-19 virus that appear to spread more easily and could cause more cases have been identified worldwide.
Many people with COVID-19 have mild symptoms and can recover at home. If you tested positive for or think that you were exposed to COVID-19, contact your PH health care team for guidance.
Government and private insurance companies are required to cover the costs of COVID-19 tests under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. While the law provides funds to cover costs accrued by uninsured patients, patients without health care insurance and those tested without orders from a health care provider might have out-of-pocket expenses.
Visit the Department of Health and Human Services webpage to locate testing sites near you.
Testing is appropriate if you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 or if you know you were in contact with someone infected by the virus. Because some people don’t have symptoms, testing helps you know whether to isolate yourself and prevent infecting others.
There are multiple types of COVID-19 tests. The most common type analyzes samples from your respiratory tract for the presence of the COVID virus in your system. You might be asked to spit, or someone will swab the inside of your nose.