Coronavirus (COVID-19) Testing and Vaccines

Yes! COVID-19 tests are available at ALL of our open locations across the state of South Carolina. We offer both rapid molecular tests and PCR send-out laboratory tests (if needed).

If you get a rapid test, you’ll receive the results of your test during your visit. You may also be tested for seasonal flu or strep throat at the same time. In certain situations a PCR send-out test may be conducted. Timeframes for receiving results from send-out diagnostic tests will depend on current lab volumes across the state at the time of your test.

Before you come, please check our locations page to verify hours of operation.

Our Doctors Care Anywhere virtual visit providers are also available and can refer you to an available Doctors Care center for immediate assistance with swab-testing. Same-day results with rapid molecular testing are subject to availability.

If you think you have been exposed to the coronavirus (COVID-19) and have developed symptoms such as fever, cough or difficulty breathing, we encourage you receive a rapid molecular test as soon as you can.

Take the following steps monitor your health and protect those around you:

• Stay home and isolate yourself from friends and family to prevent transmission
• Take over-the-counter medicines at recommended doses to relieve pain and reduce fever
• Stay hydrated
• Keep your hands clean by washing well with soap and water
• Avoid touching your face

Seek immediate medical treatment if you are experiencing emergency warning signs, including trouble breathing and/or persistent pain or pressure in the chest.

These symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure (based on the incubation period of MERS-CoV viruses).

• Fever
• Cough
• Shortness of breath

For non-emergency cases, visit www.DoctorsCare.com/Anywhere for virtual care.

Source: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html

It usually takes a few days after exposure to produce a positive COVID-19 test result. At this time, there are no firm numbers for exactly how long it takes to get an accurate positive test result. The time from exposure to the onset of symptoms is typically around 2 to 14 days. Most people’s symptoms appear around day five, on average. Therefore, it’s recommended that you wait to get tested for at least two to three days after potential exposure. Some health experts say five days after exposure might be a good testing point, since that’s the median time when symptoms usually appear. If you test too soon, you may not have enough virus in your system for detection by our test.

Doctors Care is happy to provide testing for clearance purposes, however, please be aware that most insurance plans to not cover this type of testing because it’s not considered “medically necessary.” Because of this, most patients will be billed the self-pay rate for diagnostic testing (instead of filing insurance) of $150 to receive this service.

No. Doctors Care does not require appointments for any of our in-center services, including rapid molecular COVID-19 testing. However, we do encourage you to check-in online before you come. You can do this by visiting our locations page and finding the center nearest you.

Doctors Care offers two types of diagnostic tests. You may receive either a rapid molecular test, or a PCR send-out laboratory test.

The Abbott ID NOW COVID-19 rapid molecular test requires a simple nasal swab and provides results in about 15 minutes. If rapid tests aren’t available due to supply chain issues, then a PCR send-out test can be conducted. We have partnerships with many professional labs for send-out tests. Timeframes for receiving results from send-out diagnostic tests will depend on current lab volumes across the state at the time of your test.

If you received a test in one of our centers you’ll have spoken with a provider on any necessary treatment, and will have received patient education on how to self-isolate. If you received a send-out test and are waiting for your test results, you must quarantine yourself at home and away from others. Please refer to https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/ for information on how to care for yourself at home and minimize exposure risks to family or friends

If you come to one of our centers for a COVID-19 rapid molecular test, you will receive your results during your office visit. The test takes about 15 minutes to complete. You may also be given a rapid test for flu or strep throat, and will receive those results during your visit. It will take about 24-48 hours after your test for your results to be viewable in your patient portal. You will be able to print the test documentation after the results appear in the patient portal.

To register for our patient portal and monitor your testing results, respond to the email link you should have received after your visit. You may also go to doctorscare.com/patientportal/ and register for an account, or login to your existing account.

The CDC provides up-to-date guidance on isolation duration based on certain criteria, please refer to the links below for guidelines when considering these questions.

Duration of Isolation and Precautions for Adults with COVID-19
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/duration-isolation.html

Criteria for Return to Work for Healthcare Personnel with SARS-CoV-2 Infection
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/return-to-work.html

Discontinuation of Isolation for Patients with COVID-19 Not in Healthcare Settings
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/disposition-in-home-patients.html

Nearly all of our centers remain open at this time. However, in some regions we have temporarily closed select centers to consolidate staffing and supplies at more centrally located centers to best continue providing the care and services that our patients need and deserve.

Visit DoctorsCare.com/locate to find an open location near you.

Doctors Care continues to take extra precautions around stringent disinfection and social distancing protocols.  We require all patients wear a face-covering while in our centers to help limit the risk of exposure to other patients and staff.

Click here for more on how we are protecting our patients and staff.

Select Doctors Care locations are offering the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.

For information on how and where to find participating COVID-19 vaccination sites near you, please visit https://vaxlocator.dhec.sc.gov/.

The Pfizer COVID-19 first, second, and third (booster) dose vaccines are available at select Doctors Care locations across South Carolina. Patients must register for an appointment through the CDC using the Vaccination Administration Management System (VAMS) to be eligible to receive the vaccine at any participating location.

For information on how and where to find participating COVID-19 vaccination sites near you, please visit https://vaxlocator.dhec.sc.gov/.

No. Costs for the vaccine will be covered by the federal government. Any additional administrative fees will be filed to your insurance, or covered by the federal government.

COVID-19 vaccination is recommended for all people aged 5 years and older.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) now recommends a third dose, booster COVID-19 vaccine be administered to anyone anyone 18 years of age or older.

For more information: https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2021/s1119-booster-shots.html

Children ages 5 and older can receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at select Doctors Care locations.

Register through the VAMS website here.

Yes, COVID-19 vaccines are safe for children and teens. Before recommending COVID-19 vaccination for children, scientists conducted clinical trials. The Food and Drug Administration gave Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 emergency authorization to use in children ages 5-15 and full approval for people 16 years and older. The benefits of COVID-19 vaccination outweigh the known and potential risks. Get a COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 years and older as soon as you can.

COVID-19 vaccination can help protect your child from getting COVID-19 and protect your family, too. Although fewer children have been sick with COVID-19 compared t0o adults, children can be infected with the virus that causes it, can get sick from it and can spread the virus to others. Vaccination is now recommended for everyone 5 years and older. Currently, the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is the only one available for children 5 years and older.

The data the drug companies presented to the FDA showed that the vaccine was 90.7% effective against symptomatic COVID-19. The antibody response to the vaccine was comparable to the response seen in people 16 to 25 years old..

Side effects can occur with any vaccination or medication. Typically minor, side effects can be sore arm or low-grade fever, and will usually go away within a few days.

COVID-19 vaccines were not approved until clinical trials took place and showed they were safe and effective. Early results from the first COVID-19 vaccines tested in people show they worked as intended with no serious side effects.

Please note that side effects indicate your immune system is responding to the vaccine, and these side effects are common with vaccinations.

Your child may have some side effects, which are normal signs that their body is building protection. At the site of the shot, there could be:

• Pain
• Redness
• Swelling

Other possible effects:

• Tiredness
• Headache
• Chills
• Fever
• Nausea

These side effects should go away in a few days. Some children have no side effects, and severe side effects are very rare. Ask your child’s health care provider for advice on using a non-aspirin pain reliever and other steps you can take at home after your child gets vaccinated. In general, aspirin is not recommended for use in children and adolescents younger than 18 years. Placing a cool, damp cloth on the injection site can help with discomfort

COVID-19 can have serious and life-threatening complications, so if you get sick, you can spread the disease to family, friends and others around you. The COVID-19 vaccine works along with your immune system so you can protect yourself against the virus if exposed. This vaccine is an important tool in helping to stop the pandemic.

No. You should not get the vaccine if you have severe/anaphylactic allergic reactions to the components of the vaccine or to other injections.

Most experts agree, however, that allergies to peanuts, eggs, shellfish, etc. are not a contraindication.

Yes, but they should talk to their doctor first. Vaccines should not be withheld from pregnant women who meet criteria based on recommended priority groups according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Please note, no pregnant women were included in the clinical trials at the time of the first dose. Experts say pregnant women have an increased risk of severe illness if they have COVID-19, and are at risk for an adverse pregnancy outcome, such as preterm birth.

The CDC has explicitly stated that its recent guidance around fully vaccinated people not needing to wear masks was NOT intended for healthcare settings. Therefore,  we ask that all patients continue to wear masks while visiting any of our locations. While the vaccine may prevent you from getting sick, it has been determined that you can still carry and transmit the virus. For information on the CDC guidance, visit: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated.html

You can get the vaccine if you are not in quarantine or exhibiting symptoms, but you should speak to your primary health care provider first.

You can get the second dose of the vaccine after you have completed your quarantine and no longer exhibiting symptoms, but you should speak to your primary health care provider first.

Additional research is needed to answer this question, however it is reassuring that available data suggests most people who recover from COVID-19 develop an immune response which provides at least some protection against reinfection. Although, we are still learning about the strength of this protection and how long it lasts.

Doctors Care is administering the Pfizer vaccine. It is important to know that you cannot become infected with COVID-19 by getting the COVID-19 vaccine. These are inactive vaccines, not live-virus vaccines.

Pfizer vaccines contain the following ingredients:

• A nucleotide-modified messenger RNA encoding the viral spike glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2. This is what makes the vaccine work. It instructs the cells in the body on how to make a protein that triggers an immune response.
• Lipids (fatty substances)
• Potassium chloride (potassium and chlorine)
• Monobasic potassium phosphate
• Sodium chloride (salt)
• Dibasic sodium phosphate dehydrate
• Sucrose (sugar)

This blood test identifies the presence of antibodies which indicate a person has had an immune response to COVID-19 (also known as the coronavirus or SARS-CoV-2). A positive result to this antibody (IgG) test indicates you may have had a previous exposure to COVID-19 and your body has developed antibodies.

All interested persons who have had NO COVID-19 related symptoms for the last 14 days are appropriate candidates for obtaining this test.

To protect center staff, please remember to wear either a face mask or some other form of face covering, like a scarf, when arriving at the center. Please refrain from visiting any of our locations if you have had symptoms or tested positive for COVID-19 within the past 14 days as you may still be contagious.

All of our locations offer this test as a walk-in service, no appointment needed. However, we recommend that you check our locations page to make sure the location nearest you is open during the hours you want to come, as some of our centers are experiencing abbreviated hours.

Fasting is not required for this test.

This test requires a blood draw from the arm to detect for COVID-19 IgG antibodies. Although it may take up to 14 days after the onset of symptoms for antibodies to develop, 91% of people develop antibodies within 8-13 days. Some people infected with COVID-19 will never exhibit symptoms but will have a detectable antibody response.

No, you will need to visit one of our centers for a blood draw. Visit DoctorsCare.com/locations to find a center near you.

Most results come back from the lab within 3 days of your blood draw. In some cases, due to increased demand, turnaround times may be longer. It may also take up to 3 days for your results to display in your patient portal.

You will receive a phone call from our staff with your results when they return from the lab. You will be able to print a copy of your results from the Doctors Care Patient Portal.