How To Keep Your Family Healthy During the Pandemic

Even though the vaccine is currently rolling out across the US, it’s still going to be several months before everyone who wants to get it can do so. Here’s how you can keep your family safe, and how home COVID testing can help everyone stay healthy.

Follow recommended health and safety guidelines

The CDC regularly updates its guidelines and recommendations to help you keep yourself and those around you safe. Their pandemic health and safety guidelines include:

• Wear a mask or facial covering
• Stay socially distanced
• Avoid large crowds
• Limit the size and frequency of your social gatherings
• Wash hands frequently (or use hand sanitizer if a sink isn’t available)
• Don’t go to work or school sick, and stay home if you feel symptoms of COVID-19
• Get tested if you’ve been exposed to someone who has COVID-19, whether or not you have symptoms
• Get vaccinated when you are able to do so

Los Angeles residents can sign up to be notified when they are eligible to receive a vaccine here.

Avoid nonessential travel where possible

Although airlines, airports, and other travel hubs are taking extra precautions to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, avoiding nonessential travel reduces the possibility of being exposed to the virus – or accidentally spreading it to others.

In order to travel safely, you’ll want to…

• Get tested to make sure you aren’t an asymptomatic carrier
• Check the travel restrictions at your destination
• Wear a mask at all times during flights, on buses, and in terminals
• Wash your hands and/or use hand sanitizer regularly
• Stay socially distanced as much as possible
• Know when to adjust your travel plans to prevent others from getting sick

You can find the CDC’s guidance about travel during the pandemic here.

Get tested

Getting tested is a crucial part of helping prevent the spread of COVID-19 and helping keep your family safe. You can know if you or someone in your family is infected so you can self-isolate. You’ll also know when to inform people you have recently been in contact with so that they, too, can get tested.

COVID-19 tests will detect an active case of the virus even if you are not showing symptoms.

Where can you get tested in LA?

Los Angeles residents have several options when it comes to testing locations.

Traditional centers

You can get COVID-19 tests at clinics, drive-through sites, doctor’s offices, clinics, and urgent care or emergency care locations. Los Angeles residents can find their nearest testing site options using LA County’s free testing center locator.

Airports

In addition to the locations mentioned above, some airports in the US are offering onsite COVID-19 tests – including LAX. You can get a rapid antigen test that can return results within 1 hour, or a rapid RT-PCR test that returns results within 1 business day of your appointment.

DIY Kits

In-home coronavirus testing is the safest way to get tested since you don’t have to risk exposure to the virus at standard testing centers. DIY testing kits can be purchased from many pharmacies or delivered directly to your door, saving you the time of going to a standard testing center and waiting in line. These kits require you to administer the test yourself and then send the package to a laboratory specified by the instructions that come with the kit. You can generally expect results within 1 – 3 business days.

In-home testing services

If you need to get tested but don’t want to leave your home or administer a test yourself, don’t fret. You can still get the answers you need with home COVID-19 testing. A medical service such as Concierge MD LA sends a registered nurse to your home, administers the test, and provides answers within 15 minutes – 3 business days, depending on the type of test you choose.