Staying up to date on vaccines and following health and safety guidelines are the best way to protect yourself from COVID-19.
The Student Health Center experiences a significant volume of calls for COVID-19 related appointments, testing, and results. Many questions related to COVID-19 illness, testing, and vaccines are covered in the links below. Please review this information prior to calling the Student Health Center (SHC). After reviewing this information, should you have remaining questions or concerns, then contact the SHC at (865) 974-5080 for additional assistance.
Warning Sign Symptoms of COVID-19
If you have warning sign symptoms of COVID-19, you should seek emergency care immediately. Warning sign symptoms include:
- trouble breathing
- persistent chest pain or pressure
- new or worsening confusion
- inability to wake or stay awake
- pale, blue, or grey nail beds or skin, depending on your skin tone
At Home Testing
The Student Health Center has a limited number of at-home COVID tests that you can obtain at no charge. In many cases, people who test positive for COVID-19 may be able to recover at home on their own. Read the information below carefully, and if you believe that testing at home is a good option for you, visit the front desk at the Student Health Center for a free at-home COVID test.
Symptoms of COVID-19 include, but are not limited to:
- fever or chills
- fatigue
- cough
- sore throat
- headache
- muscle or body aches
- diarrhea
- nausea or vomiting
- new loss of taste or smell
- shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- congestion or runny nose
If your symptoms are mild to moderate and you don’t have underlying health conditions, testing at home with an over the counter COVID-19 test may save you a trip to the doctor. If you have moderate to severe symptoms, you should contact a healthcare provider to discuss the best testing at treatment options for you.
Some health conditions make serious illness from a COVID-19 infection more likely. If you have one of these conditions, you should consult a healthcare provider about the best testing and treatment options for you. Health conditions include diabetes, obesity, smoking, weakened immune system, cancer, mood disorders, and many more.
See https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-with-medical-conditions.html for a full list
Close contact occurs when you are within 6 feet of someone with a confirmed case of COVID-19 for a total of 15 minutes throughout the day. If you are a close contact, it is recommended that you wear a well-fitting mask and monitor yourself for symptoms for 10 days after exposure, where your date of exposure is day 0.
If at any time during your monitoring period you develop symptoms, you should consider yourself positive for COVID-19 and begin isolating.
Stay Home if You are Sick
If you are ill, please avoid coming to or being out on campus and call your healthcare provider for any symptoms that are severe or concerning to you.
Staying home while you are ill is an important way to prevent the spread of illness in the community.
- For guidance on quarantine and isolation, see the CDC’s Quarantine and Isolation Calculator.
- For university resources on self-isolation, instructor notifications, and other support related to health or illness related absences, fill out the Health & Illness Support Form.
- For more information about isolation and at home care, see What to Do if You are Sick.
If You Test Negative
If you test negative for COVID-19, you may still be infected. If you have symptoms, you should re-test after 48 hours to verify that you remain negative. It is recommended that you continue to mask and isolate from others as long as you are experiencing symptoms, however, even if you test negative. If your symptoms worsen or persist for more than a few days, you may have another respiratory infection like the flu. Contact a healthcare provider to discuss testing and treatment options.
Get Vaccinated
Vaccination is the best way to protect yourself from serious COVID-19 or flu. Vaccines are safe, effective, and in most cases free. Visit tiny.utk.edu/vaccines for more information and appointments.