COVID-19 FAQs
Carle wants to keep you informed of rapidly changing guidance and encourages people to use the Carle COVID-19 hotline at (217) 902-6100 to have your COVID-19 questions answered.
Carle wants to keep you informed of rapidly changing guidance and encourages people to use the Carle COVID-19 hotline at (217) 902-6100 to have your COVID-19 questions answered.
FOR THE
SAFETY OF PATIENTS, TEAM MEMBERS AND COMMUNITY, CARLE LIMITS VISITORS AND
SUPPORT PEOPLE IN OUR FACILITIES. Please see our full visiting
policy here
Patient and approved visitor symptom screening takes place at all public entrances or check-in desks. Everyone (patients, visitors and staff) must be masked on entry. Those without a mask will be provided one.
Patients may use our online COVID-19 screening tool at carle.org. A smart form will guide patients through a series of questions to assess their symptoms and risk and provide guidance on how, where or if a patient should seek a COVID-19 test.
Patients preparing for a procedure may be requested to complete a COVID-19 test.
Patients may call the Carle COVID-19 hotline at (217) 902-6100
It remains Carle’s top priority to best care for our community by promptly identifying the COVID-19 virus while minimizing exposure to others.
If think you have been exposed to COVID-19, are experiencing symptoms or need a test for a pre-procedure contact the COVID hotline for available Carle testing locations.
In order to get patients their test results as quickly as possible, Carle will try to release a negative COVID-19 result automatically through MyCarle shortly after the results are available to their providers. In most cases, this is 24-48 hours. A text or email prompts the patient to login to view results. If a patient tests positive for COVID-19, the appropriate public health department will contact the patient directly.
If you need to schedule a COVID-19 screening test to maintain compliance with state or federal requirements, you should schedule a test at a community, state, or commercial retail COVID-19 testing site. Click here for location information on the COVID-19 Community Testing Sites.
It remains Carle’s top priority to best care for our community by promptly identifying the COVID-19 virus while minimizing exposure to others.
Following state guidelines, Carle is performing elective surgeries and procedures. Patients may be asked to complete a COVID-19 test prior to their procedure.
No. Only those patients undergoing invasive procedures, who are not fully vaccinated, have had a known exposure, or have COVID-19 symptoms prior to the planned procedure will be tested for COVID-19 prior to their surgery/procedure. Most In-office appointments and procedures do not require a COVID-19 test prior to treatment
Per the current CDC recommendations, everyone ages 18 and older should get a COVID-19 booster shot.
Individuals ages 12-17 can receive a Pfizer-BioNTech booster shot five months after completing their primary mRNA vaccine series. Individuals ages 18+ who received Pfizer-BioNTech as their primary vaccine, can get a booster shot five months after completing their primary mRNA vaccine series.
For those that received Moderna as your primary vaccine, you can get a booster shot five months after completing your primary mRNA vaccine series. For those that received the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen vaccine, you can get your booster shot two months after completing your initial vaccine.
For the latest COVID-19 booster information check out the CDC website.
What qualifies as fully vaccinated?
According to the CDC, patients are considered fully vaccinated for COVID-19 two weeks (14 days) after they have received the second dose in a two-dose series (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna), or a single dose vaccine (Johnson and Johnson/Janssen). While the CDC does recommend a third dose for immunocompromised individuals and recommends a booster dose for approved groups of the general public, you are currently considered fully vaccinated after you receive your initial dose(s) of the vaccine.
Carle has taken many steps to provide the safest environment possible for team members. The most visible is to provide more Personal Protective Equipment or PPE and adjusting processes to accommodate social distancing as the organization resumes services, additional sanitizing and other precautions will be a strong focus area.
All Carle Health team members are required to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and are allowed to complete vaccination during a scheduled shift.
Following the same procedures as other hospitals in the region and in the U.S., and at the guidance of public health, visitors are limited. Visiting policies vary by hospital and department, please see our full visiting policy here.
Carle Health has the ability to conduct virtual visits via EPIC MyChart Video Visits. When scheduling your follow-up care we encourage you to discuss the option of virtual visits with your provider. We recommend that you contact your health insurance carrier for specifics on your benefit coverage.
If you live out of the area and wish to get your required COVID-19 test at a location that is not a Carle facility, staff will need one business day to receive your test results.
If your surgery is scheduled on a Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday and you want to get your COVID-19 test at a non-Carle location, please discuss this with our staff to ensure Carle will receive your test results in time for your surgery.
Due to test results potentially not being available over weekends from non-Carle/Christie testing locations, patients who have a surgery scheduled on Monday will need to have the required COVID-19 test administered at a Carle testing site. This will ensure that we will not need to contact you on Sunday to cancel your surgery.
Yes, for everyone’s safety, Carle will continue to require masks while on our campuses regardless of vaccination status.
Special conditions will be evaluated on an individual basis to determine how best to care for these patients.
The Health Information Management main office at Carle at The Fields is currently closed to walk-in patient access. Medical Information is available and can be distributed to patients via MyCarle portal, EPIC Care Everywhere, fax, secured email, mail or Fed Ex. Patients will be encouraged to use these methods to obtain medical information. Only in emergent situations will medical information and/or images on CD be delivered face to face. Patients must call (217) 902-6100 to arrange an appointment in this situation.
Refer to the Advance Care Planning Guide and email ACP@carle.com or call you doctor’s office to schedule a phone visit with a social worker or advance care planning facilitator. Advance care planning assures your wishes are understood and communicated to healthcare professionals and your loved ones even when you aren't able to speak for yourself.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) describes COVID-19 as a disease caused by a virus called SARS-CoV-2. Most people with COVID-19 have mild symptoms, but some people can become severely ill. Although most people with COVID-19 get better within weeks of illness, some people experience post-COVID conditions. Post-COVID conditions are a wide range of new, returning, or ongoing health problems people can experience more than four weeks after first being infected with the virus that causes COVID-19. Older people and those who have certain underlying medical conditions are more likely to get severely ill from COVID-19. Vaccines against COVID-19 are safe and effective.
Since the symptoms are similar to other respiratory viral illnesses, people exposed to known cases are more at risk if they also have these symptoms: dry cough, difficulty breathing or two or more of the following symptoms: fever, chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat and new loss of taste or smell.
The principal mode by which people are infected with COVID-19 is through exposure to respiratory fluids carrying the infectious virus. Infectious exposures to respiratory fluids carrying COVID-19 occur in three principal ways (not mutually exclusive):
Visit the CDC website for the latest guidance.
Everyone who qualifies should receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Everyday health practices are the most effective prevention:
The CDC recommends covering your mouth and nose with a cloth face cover when around others.
CDC recommendations are changing frequently. Visit the CDC website for the latest guidance.
Monoclonal Antibody Treatment (MAB) can help your body fight off COVID-19 and reduce the risk of severe disease and hospitalization. Patients who meet any one of the criteria below may qualify for monoclonal antibody infusion. If you believe you may qualify, please contact your primary care provider for next steps.
Monoclonal Antibody Infusion qualification criteria: