UPMC has developed a test for the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 — the virus that causes COVID-19 — and will use this test to diagnose select, symptomatic cases. On March 17, UPMC will begin directing patients with symptoms consistent with COVID-19 to a specimen collection site in Pittsburgh’s South Side neighborhood.

The site is not open to the general public. Patients must have a physician referral approved by UPMC’s infection prevention team and an appointment to have their specimen collected for testing by either UPMC or public health authorities.

UPMC Press Briefing (March 14, 2020)

UPMC Visitors Restrictions

For the safety of our patients and staff, and to lower their likelihood of exposure to any illness, including COVID-19, UPMC is temporarily limiting visitors.

Inpatients and Outpatients

All hospitals and outpatient facilities, excluding obstetrics, labor and delivery, NICUs, and pediatric units, will follow these guidelines

Inpatients being tested for or diagnosed with COVID-19

• No visitors

Non-COVID-19 inpatients AND outpatients in physician practices, rehab, cancer centers, imaging, and all outpatient locations

• Limited to one visitor per inpatient, outpatient clinic, ambulatory surgery, and emergency department patient.
• No visitors who are ill.
• No children are permitted.
• Visitors must be 18 or older.

Obstetrics, labor and delivery, NICUs, and pediatrics units

• All visitors will be actively screened before entry.
• Visitors will be limited to two support persons (i.e., parent, guardian, caregiver).
• No children are permitted.

Long-Term Care

UPMC Senior Communities is temporarily limiting visitation at all our long-term care facilities, including skilled nursing, personal care, and assisted and independent living settings.Visitors will be permitted only in special situations approved by the facility administrator or designated manager. Special situations may include end-of-life visitation and when a visitor is essential for the resident’s emotional well-being and care.

Any approved visitors must be screened at the designated facility entrance by a staff member. The entrance screener will ask approved visitors four questions, listed below, documenting their names and “yes” or “no” responses on a sign-in log:

1. Signs or symptoms of a respiratory infection, such as fever, cough, shortness of breath, or sore throat.

2. Contact in the last 14 days with someone with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19, under investigation for COVID-19, or ill with respiratory illness.

3. International travel within the last 14 days to countries with sustained community transmission.

4. Residence in a community where community-based spread of COVID-19 is occurring.

If visitors answer “yes” to any of the screening questions and/or appear to be ill, they will not be allowed to enter the facility and will be directed to see their primary care physicians.

Employee Facility Entry Screening (at UPMC Senior Communities only) All UPMC Senior Communities employees entering facilities upon arrival for their shift will be self-screened prior to entry in the same manner as special visitors, using a separate log for employees. Any employee answering “yes” to any of the four questions will be directed to go home and referred to MyHealth@Work.

Facts about COVID-19

COVID-19 is a disease first identified in 2019. As it makes headlines, UPMC is ready to care for patients and staff who may be affected.

Our facilities are well-equipped to properly care for patients with contagious diseases, and our preparedness efforts for COVID-19 are extensive.

“We are a world-class academic medical center,” says Don Yealy, MD, chair of emergency medicine at UPMC. “That means we provide outstanding patient care and do research to improve that medical care. In this current health care challenge, these features again help us respond to the needs of our community, near and far.”

Read on to learn more about this disease and how you can find help if you believe you have been affected.

What Is COVID-19?

COVID-19 is a respiratory disease caused by a new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) not previously seen in humans.

An outbreak of COVID-19 began in late 2019 in Wuhan, a city in China’s Hubei province. To date, cases of COVID-19 have spread around the world, making the condition one of the most rapidly emerging infectious diseases.

COVID-19 can cause fever, cough, and shortness of breath. This virus is spread through human contact, much like the cold or flu. There is not yet a vaccine or medication approved to treat it.

The virus has been identified in over 100,000 people across the globe. While most people recover from COVID-19, it can be life-threatening.