Episode Transcript
Interviewer: Should you get tested for COVID-19? It's an ongoing question that many people have. Dr. Richard Orlandi is the Chief Medical Officer of Ambulatory Care at University of Utah Health and he says, as a general rule, if you are experiencing the following symptoms, you might want to consider getting a test.
Dr. Orlandi: If you have symptoms of fever, plus a cough, shortness of breath, malaise, that feeling of feeling sick, like you have the flu, we're saying go ahead and let's get you in and let's get tested. It doesn't matter where you've traveled. It doesn't matter if you've been exposed to someone. Let's just get you in and get tested.
Interviewer: Dr. Orlandi goes on to say, before you go, you should make a phone call first.
Dr. Orlandi: A lot of times, we can discuss your symptoms over the phone or through a virtual visit and get you to where you don't need to go to the test. We could say, "You know, we've talked about it. Based on what we're seeing and hearing from you, testing is not really necessary for you right now."
Interviewer: And if you're concerned whether or not you could possibly get COVID-19 at the testing site, Dr. Orlandi says you don't need to worry about that.
Dr. Orlandi: The good news is not a concern. We have done everything we can in working with our epidemiologists and our infectious disease experts to make that as safe as possible. So in between each test, our staff are wiping off any surface that could have come in contact with the patient, changing out their gloves, and doing everything necessary to make that as safe as possible for each one of our patients.
Interviewer: To find the telephone number to call about testing, or to find out the latest testing criteria and other COVID-19 information, go to uofuhealth.org/coronavirus.
This information was accurate at the time of publication. Due to the changing nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, some information may have changed since the original publication date.