What do I do if I have symptoms of COVID-19?

Symptoms of COVID-19 can vary, but may include:

• Cough
• Fever or chills
• Shortness of breath/ difficulty breathing
• Decrease sense of smell or taste
• Unexplained diarrhea
• Unexplained headache
• Muscle aches/ body aches
• Unexplained fatigue/ tiredness
• Nausea or vomiting
• Nasal congestion or runny nose
• Sore throat

If you think you might have symptoms of COVID-19, call the Health Center at 512-863-1252. A registered nurse will ask you some questions and determine if you need to be tested for COVID-19. 

 What is the PATCH?

The PATCH is the “Pirate Assessment Triage & Containment Hub”. It is the COVID-19 testing clinic on campus. It is located in Moody-Shearn Hall #113. Enter from the courtyard.  See map here

If you have an appointment at the PATCH, you must complete all of your forms on the patient portal and submit a copy of your current health insurance card prior to your appointment time. 

If you are symptomatic and require a same-day PCR test, please keep in mind that this test will take 70 minutes.  You will not be required to wait at the PATCH for your results, as long as you have a safe place to isolate.  This state-of-the-art testing capability allows us to quickly identify and isolate people who are infected with COVID-19 to help keep our campus safe. 

What do I do if I test positive for COVID-19?

What do I do if I am a close contact of someone who tested positive?

If you are identified as a close contact by an SU student who tested positive, you will be called by a contact tracer and asked to quarantine. If you have not been contacted, but you have reason to believe you are a close contact of someone who tested positive, call the COVID-19 Care Coordinator Hotline at 512-863-1605. 

If you are in quarantine, have no symptoms, and want to be tested, you must wait at least 5 days before you can be scheduled for a lab-based test. Please note that a negative test does NOT reduce your quarantine time. Because the incubation period for COVID-19 is up to 14 days, a negative test does not guarantee that you will not develop the illness later.  Southwestern continues to require a 14 day quarantine for on-campus students.   

If you are in quarantine and develop symptoms, please call the Health Center at 512-863-1252. 

What is a close contact?

For COVID-19, a close contact is defined as any individual who was within 6 feet of an infected person for a total of 15 minutes or more starting from 2 days before illness onset (or, for asymptomatic patients, 2 days prior to positive specimen collection) until the time the patient is isolated.

Close contacts may also include physical contact, sharing food or drinks, living in the same household, and spending the night with someone.