Frequently Asked Questions

Saint Peter’s COVID-19 Recovery Program provides patients who have previously tested positive for or been diagnosed with COVID-19 access to streamlined multi-specialty care. 

 The goal is to connect people suffering from ongoing symptoms of COVID-19 to coordinated, timely, and compassionate medical care.

Patients will also receive help and support from a patient coordinator throughout their road to long-term recovery.

Patients who have previously tested positive for or been diagnosed with COVID-19 are eligible to enroll in the CRC program.

While the long-term effects of COVID-19 are not fully confirmed, some common symptoms/complications include:

• Heart Issues
• Shortness of Breath
• Stomach or Digestion Issues
• Chest Pain
• Chronic Fatigue and/or “Brain Fog”
• Depression, Anxiety, and other Mental Health Issues
• Hair Loss

A COVID-19 long-hauler is defined as a person who has already recovered from COVID-19 but is still experiencing long term symptoms of the virus. These symptoms can include heart issues, breathing issues, stomach or digestion issues, chronic fatigue and/or “brain fog,” depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues, and hair loss.

When participating in a COVID-19 Recovery program, it is your responsibility to bring any tests, lab results, or other documents needed to appointments. A Program Coordinator will help you keep track of what is needed, and our team will work with you the schedule your appointments in as few visits as possible.

A program coordinator will be available to help every step of the way. 

The Coordinator will monitor patient recovery and care, follow-up on lab work, tests, and appointments, and ensure the necessary support systems are in place to aid in the recovery journey.  This may include connections to mental/behavioral health support, or other social services.
 

Currently, we are not participating in any research studies, but we are communicating with universities and institutions. If an opportunity becomes available, and you are interested in participating in a research study, please contact us.

• Wash your hands as often as possible with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If washing your hands is not an accessible task use a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
• Do not touch your mouth, eyes, and nose if your hands are not clean.
• Refrain from close contact with people in your home that are sick and with people out in public. Practice a safe distance of at least 6 feet from people.
• When in a public setting a mask should always be worn, particularly when maintaining a 6 feet distance is difficult.
• Clean and disinfect surfaces that are frequently touched such as counters, doorknobs, phones, etc.
• Monitor your health and be aware of symptoms of COVID-19.

More information about how to prevent COVID and protect yourself can be found on the CDC website.

Symptoms can range from mild to severe depending on the individual. People with underlying health issues and over the age of 65 face a higher risk of developing more severe complications as a result of COVID. While everyone is different, the most common symptoms include:

• Fever
• Cough
• Shortness of breath
• Fatigue
• Muscle or body aches
• Headache
• Loss of taste and/or smell
• Sore throat
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea

More information about symptoms can be found on the CDC website.

• The virus is mainly spread from person-to-person contact such as when an infected individual coughs, sneezes, or even talks.
• The virus can also be spread through touching an infected surface such as a doorknob and then touching your mouth, eyes, or nose.

More information about how COVID-19 is spread can be found on the CDC website.

• Older individuals, particularly people over the age of 85.
• People with underlying medical conditions such as asthma, cancer, diabetes, obesity, heart conditions, hypertension, immunocompromised states, etc.

More information about those that are at a higher risk for COVID can be found on the CDC website, which includes a full list of medical conditions with supporting evidence.

While both influenza (flu) and COVID-19 are contagious respiratory illnesses they arise from very different viruses. While many of the symptoms of the flu and COVID are similar, a major difference among the two are that there is a readily available vaccine for the flu while there is no vaccine for COVID at the moment. More information about similarities and differences of the flu and COVID can be found at the CDC website.
 

Currently, there is no evidence suggesting that the virus can be spread through consuming food. However, it is still necessary to take the recommended precautions and wash your hands or use hand sanitizer after grocery shopping and before cooking and eating. More information can be found at the CDC website.

Yes, masks are an effective way to prevent the spread of the virus by creating a barrier. Masks are worn in order to prevent respiratory droplets from traveling in the air and onto surfaces or another person. More information about masks can be found at the CDC website.

If you think you have the virus, contact your doctor immediately to schedule a telemedicine appointment or go to covid19.nj.gov to locate a testing site near you. In the meantime, self-quarantine to protect others in your home.

COVID-19 testing is available to everyone in New Jersey. Testing sites nearest your location can be found on the covid19.nj.gov website. Once on the website scroll down to the bottom and enter your address, zip code, or city to find locations in your area.

Saint Peter’s University Hospital is a CDC-designated COVID-19 testing site. Talk to your doctor about getting a referral to be tested at our facility.

• People experiencing symptoms of COVID
• People have been in close contact with an individual who has tested positive for COVID (within 6 feet for at least 15 minutes)
• A prescription from a healthcare provider

Testing is available to everyone in New Jersey even if they do not have insurance. Covid19.nj.gov has resources available to people without health insurance including Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and NJ FamilyCare.

Testing is available to everyone in New Jersey even if they are undocumented.

Contact tracing is the process of notifying individuals that have come into contact with a positive COVID-19 patient. When an individual receives a positive test result it is uploaded to a secure surveillance system and shared with your local health department. A contact tracer will then call you to determine anyone you have come into contact with and notify them to quarantine. This a confidential process and your name never gets released to any other individuals. More information can be found at covid19.nj.gov.

If your COVID-19 test comes back positive, self-isolate yourself from others in order to keep those that are not infected safe. This includes staying in your own room and utilizing your own bathroom. You should also monitor your symptoms and be on the lookout for emergency warning signs and seek immediate medical attention if any arises. More information about what should be done after testing positive can be found on the CDC website.

The antibody test is used for detecting antibodies in a person's blood. Antibodies become present if a person has had COVID and are created when the body attempts to fight off the infection. More information about antibodies can be found on the CDC website.

All New Jerseyans can pre-register for the vaccine. You can register for a vaccine on the NJ Vaccine Scheduling System and you will be notified when an appointment is available to you in the system.

To find a vaccination site, visit https://covid19.nj.gov/pages/covid-19-vaccine-locations-for-eligible-recipients or call 855-568-0545.

You can go to https://covid19.nj.gov/pages/vaccine to find out more information about COVID-19 vaccines in New Jersey, register in the vaccine scheduling system, and view vaccination locations.

Go to our resources page to find a list of different resources for support with  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/managing-stress-anxiety.html : includes different links to national hotlines.
 

If you have been financially impacted by COVID-19, you could be eligible for tax credits or government benefits. Click here to take our benefits screening tool and find out.