COVID-19 Resources
What You Need to Know About COVID-19 Vaccines
Based on Governor Tony Evers’ statewide executive order, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) issued a statewide standing medical order that allows those over 6 months old who want to receive the COVID vaccine to get it at pharmacies across the state without a prescription. This means members can receive the vaccine at Hy-Vee and Costco, covered by GHC-SCW.
The Moderna COVID vaccine is now available at all GHC-SCW clinics. Please refrain from scheduling at the Madison College Clinic unless it is your Primary Clinic.
What is COVID-19?
What are the symptoms of COVID-19?
People who have COVID-19 can have a wide range of symptoms. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. Possible symptoms can include:
- Fever or chills
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Fatigue
- Muscle or body aches
- Headache
- New loss of taste or smell
- Sore throat
- Congestion or runny nose
- Nausea or vomiting
- Diarrhea
This list does not include all possible symptoms. Symptoms may change with new COVID-19 variants and can vary depending on vaccination status.
What can you do if you think you have COVID-19?
Limit contact with others to help reduce the spread of illness. If you begin to have symptoms, stay at home. You should self-isolate (stay home) or quarantine (avoid contact with others, including household members). Once you’re feeling better and fever-free for at least 24 hours (without using fever-reducer medication), you may resume normal activities such as returning to school and work. Once you resume normal activities, take additional precautions for the next five days to avoid getting others sick, such as wearing a well-fitting mask and keeping a distance from others.
Follow self-care guidelines like these ones written by the Center for Disease Control (CDC).
Prevent the Spread of COVID-19
The best way to prevent or slow down transmission is to understand the disease and how it spreads. You can protect yourself by standing 6 feet apart, wearing a fitted mask and washing your hands often. Get vaccinated when it’s your turn and follow local guidance.
The virus can spread from an infected person’s mouth or nose. Small liquid particles spread it when they cough, sneeze, speak, sing or breathe. It’s important to stop the drops from spreading. For example, you can cough into a flexed elbow or to stay home if you feel unwell.
In addition to staying home when you’re sick, the CDC is encouraging these core prevention steps and strategies:
If you are experiencing worsening symptoms, please call Nurse Connect at (608) 661-7350 to decide if you need further evaluation. If you are currently pregnant, please contact your obstetric provider. |
Oral Antiviral Medication Eligibility
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Became commercially available Nov. 1, 2023
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Have many drug interactions
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Are not safe in pregnancy
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May not be appropriate for all patients
See CDC guidance on who is considered higher risk: COVID-19 Risk Factors
What You Need to Know About COVID-19 and GHC-SCW Clinics
Masks are no longer required in all GHC-SCW Clinics. If you have had a recent COVID-19 exposure or diagnosis or are experiencing cough/cold symptoms, you should mask per the current CDC guidance.
Visitor Restrictions
If you visit a GHC-SCW clinic for an appointment, please make sure you follow these rules.
You or anyone you bring to a visit can not have tested positive for COVID-19 within the last five days are not permitted.
All patients and visitors:
- May be asked COVID-19 screening questions.
- Must wash or sanitize their hands frequently.
- Must practice physical distancing.
- May be asked to wear a mask covering the nose and mouth if you have a cough or cold symptoms.
What You Need to Know About COVID-19 Vaccines
COVID-19 remains a routine recommendation for adults aged 65 and older, per current CDC guidelines. No shared decision-making conversation is required, patients should be offered the vaccine if due.
For patients under age 65, COVID-19 vaccination is now based on shared clinical decision-making. If a patient requests the vaccine, that indicates their understanding and desire to receive it, no further discussion is needed. If patients proactively discuss or are recommended the vaccine, that also fulfills the shared decision-making requirement.
Updated COVID-19 Vaccine
We now have the updated COVID-19 vaccine for members ages 6 months to 12 years.
In addition to GHC-SCW clinics, members can receive their COVID-19 vaccines in the places listed below:
- Your Primary Care Provider
- Hy-Vee
- Costco
If you’ve recently had COVID-19, it is recommended to wait three months to receive a dose of the vaccine.
People are considered to be moderately or severely immunocompromised (meaning they have a weakened immune system) due to several conditions and treatments. Examples include if you:
- Are getting cancer treatment for tumors or cancers of the blood
- Received an organ transplant and are taking medicine to suppress the immune system
- Received chimeric antigen receptor CAR T-cell therapy (a treatment to help your immune system kill cancer cells)
- Received a stem cell transplant (within the last 2 years)
- Have moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency (such as DiGeorge syndrome or Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome)
- Have an advanced or untreated HIV infection
- Are getting treatment with high-dose corticosteroids or other drugs that may suppress immune response
Talk to your health care provider about COVID-19 vaccination and your medical condition.
To learn more, please visit the CDC website, FDA website or the DHS website.
The best thing you can do to stay up to date is make sure you have an active GHCMyChart account. We will also update this page with relevant COVID-19 vaccine news.
If you are interested in reading more about vaccines, two great sources are the CDC and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
Below you will find links to the COVID-19 vaccine fact sheets for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine Fact Sheet for Recipients and Caregivers – FDA Approved
Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine Fact Sheet for Recipients and Caregivers – FDA Approved
If you are age 65 or older, or are moderately to severely immunocompromised, you should receive a booster.
If you are age 65 or older, you should receive your booster two months after receiving a dose of the 2024/2025 COVID-19 vaccine.
If you are moderately to severely immunocompromised, you should receive your booster two months after receiving a dose of the 2024/2025 COVID-19 vaccine.
What You Need to Know About COVID-19 Testing
Call our 24/7 GHC NurseConnect line at (608) 661-7350 or toll-free (855) 661-7350. They can provide you with additional information and next steps to take depending on the severity of your symptoms.
If you have any questions, please reach out to your Primary Care Provider.
GHC-SCW charges $81 for a COVID-19 Antibody Test (86769) and $132 for a COVID-19 Diagnostic Laboratory Test (87635)
Additional services unrelated to the testing for and diagnosis of COVID-19 during the same visit may result in additional charges. What you pay is based on your health plan.
Please call Member Services at (608) 828-4853 if you have questions.
Over-the-counter tests are convenient way to test for COVID-19 from the comfort of your home. They can be key to stopping the spread of COVID-19.
Two testing options are antigen and PCR tests. Antigen tests are sold over-the-counter and PCR tests are usually done by a health care provider and then sent to a lab.
Learn more about your testing options through the CDC website.
External Testing Resources
Looking for more information on testing for COVID-19? We encourage you to use the following websites.
The symptoms of RSV, the flu, and COVID-19 are similar. Use the table here to understand your treatment and testing options.
External Resources
Looking for more information on COVID-19? We encourage you to use the following websites.
