Local News

When Not To Go To The Emergency Room

With COVID filling hospitals it’s important to know when to go to the hospital, when to go to the ER, and when to set up an appointment. Local health care leaders are urging the public to help manage the surge of patients filling emergency departments. The public is being asked to remember that emergency departments are not testing sites for people who have mild symptoms of COVID or need a return to work or return to school status update.  

 

Dr. Rajesh Govindaiah, a Senior Vice President and Chief Physician Executive of Memorial Health says that if you do experience a health emergency or serious COVID symptoms such as severe shortness of breath then go to your emergency department immediately.  

 

If you have a COVID-19 infection, you’re encouraged to wear a medical-grade mask and isolate yourself from family and friends for at least 5 days.  You can use local pharmacies, county health departments, COVID-19 pop-up testing sites, or the University of Illinois-Springfield Shield program for testing. Many local pharmacies also offer both in-person and at-home testing. 

 

If you have been exposed to COVID but aren’t showing symptoms or have minor symptoms, take infection prevention precautions.  Wait 3-5 days from your date of exposure to test for accurate results and it is possible to test early and receive a false negative. For more information on COVID-19 testing, visit memorialhealth/covid-19-information.

Townhall Top of the Hour News

Weather - Sponsored By:

TAYLORVILLE WEATHER

Local News

Facebook Feed - Sponsored By: