Updated April 6

We are closely monitoring the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak throughout the world, the United States and Virginia. The first cases of COVID-19 in Virginia were reported in early March. For a current case count in Virginia, please visit the Virginia Department of Health. For a current case count globally, please visit the Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 tracker. 

At this time, we have the necessary staffing, supplies and equipment to keep all of our patients, visitors and health care staff safe.

We have created answers to COVID-19 frequently asked questions about the symptoms, diagnosis and treatment. If you think you have COVID-19, call your primary health care provider to discuss appropriate testing and care. For general questions about COVID-19, we have created a hotline at (804) 628-7426.

Read our FAQ

We have experience handling new disease threats

We have highly trained staff prepared specifically to respond to new disease threats, such as COVID-19. In 2014, in response to Ebola, VCU Medical Center created the state’s first and only unique pathogens unit (UPU). The UPU consists of a physical unit, highly skilled staff and an emergency response structure that allows us to treat unique, dangerous organisms.

Although COVID-19 doesn’t pose the same risk as Ebola and does not require us to activate the physical UPU space, we can swiftly deploy unit staff and equipment to care for patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 and protect our staff and other patients.

We are proactively watching out for your health

Since the outbreak, we have taken the following steps to keep you and your community safe from infection:

• Emergency plan. Our coronavirus task force has created an emergency plan on how to respond to the coronavirus here in Virginia. We have shared our emergency plan with all of our team members in case they come in contact with a potential or confirmed COVID-19 patient.

• Collaboration. We regularly communicate with the Virginia Department of Health (VDH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Central Virginia Healthcare Coalition to share information and resources.

• Special treatment areas. We have created a "split-flow" process of providing emergency medical care to our patients. This means that a patient who screens positive for symptoms of COVID-19 upon entering is immediately separated from others. We then attend to the needs of that patient in a dedicated area away from other patient populations. 

• Supply plans. We currently have sufficient medical and surgical supplies to meet our patients’ needs. In the event of a global shortage, we have plans in place to allocate our resources throughout our system according to need. We are also studying the availability of our supplies and potential substitutes and alternative sources.

We have updated our visitor guidelines

To keep our patients, visitors and team members healthy, we have activated new patient visitation guidelines. These guidelines are updated as the situation warrants. Please check these guidelines before you visit. The guidelines will also be posted in our facilities.

Are hospitals safe and prepared? Our COVID-19 expert answers your questions.

How do you test for COVID-19? Can I ask to be tested? Our COVID-19 expert answers your questions.

What you can do to protect yourself

The best thing you can do is to stay healthy:

• Wash your hands often and thoroughly.

• Drink plenty of liquids.

• Get plenty of sleep.

• Don’t touch your face, including your nose, eyes and mouth — particularly with unwashed hands.

• If you feel sick, call your doctor and stay home from work and public places.

• Cover your mouth when coughing and sneezing -- but not with your hand -- and dispose of used tissues properly.

• Keep current with public health alerts issued by the Virginia Department of Health  and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

Please check our website for updates to the coronavirus threat here in Virginia.