Where to go in the case of symptoms of COVID-19 infection?

Body temperature above 38 degrees Celsius, cough, difficulty breathing and loss of the sense of smell or taste are the four most common symptoms characteristic for COVID-19. If you have noticed such symptoms, please follow the recommendations below.

According to the new recommendations of the Ministry of Health, a patient with such symptoms should have a phone consultation with their GP, who will refer them to a test via the gabinet.gov.pl application. The GP informs the patient of mobile test sites, so called drive-through test centres, where they can have a test (the GP informs the patient of the need to avoid public transport).

Then, the GP notifies the District Sanitary and Epidemiological Station of a suspected SARS-COV-2 infection by filling out a relevant form in their medical practice software or in the gabinet.gov.pl application.

If the condition of the patient allows it, they travel to the drive through site by car on their own in order to have a test. The list of drive through centres is available HERE .(Polish language)

When going to a drive through testing site, the patient has to present an identity document with a photograph and to provide their Civil Registration Number PESEL. Once in the centre, they do not leave the car. The epipharynx smear is collected through an open car window. The test is free of charge. 

The smear is analysed in a COVID lab. The test results are entered into the system. They can be accessed by the GP through the gabinet.gov.pl app, by the patient through the Online Patient Account and by the Regional and District Sanitary and Epidemiological Stations through the EWP system.

If the patient tests positive, they will be notified by the GP and informed of the need to go to an isolation or low dependency and isolation hospital ward. In addition, the GP notifies a hospital with an isolation ward of the referral of a patient with confirmed COVID-19.

At the hospital, it is decided whether to: 

• admit the patient to the hospital, 
• isolate the patient in an isolation unit (isolation units are dedicated among others to patients who cannot be quarantined at home, because they would threat to infect their family), 
• or isolate the patient at their home.

If the patient is unable to go to a testing site on their own, their GP will contact the Regional Sanitary and Epidemiological Station (WSSE) by phone and inform it of the need to perform a test. The WSSE issues a request for a test and sends to the patient an ambulance dedicated to doing smear tests. If the patient tests positive, they will be notified by the GP and informed of the need to go to an isolation or low dependency and isolation hospital ward.

The procedures in the event of a suspected COVID-19 infection are described on the website of the Ministry of Health.(Polish language)

We encourage you to follow the information on the websites of NAWA, the Polish Ministry of Health and the Chief Sanitary Inspectorate.

Picture by CDC with Unsplash.com

Source: NAWA