COVID-19 TESTS AVAILABLE AT ZION:
RAPID ANTIBODY ($50), RAPID ANTIGEN ($50), SAME DAY PCR COVID TESTING ($75), & 4 VIRUS PCR TESTING ($100)

IN-PERSON OFFICE VISIT ($125) REQUIRED FOR ALL POTENTIAL COVID PATIENTS.

You are highly likely to have coronavirus if:

IF YOU HAVE FEVER WITH COUGH OR SHORTNESS OF BREATH +

YOU HAVE COME IN CONTACT WITH A PERSON SUSPECTED OF HAVING CORONAVIRUS INFECTION.

Other common symptoms of the Coronavirus infection include:

• General body aches,
• Chest pains,
• Extreme fatigue,
• Sudden loss of sense of smell or taste,
• Sore throat,
• Diarrhea.

If You Would Like to Know How Effective An Immune Response Your Body Has Developed After Receiving a COVID-19 Vaccination, Please Click Here for Further Information.

If You Have Received a COVID-19 Vaccination, But Are Still Experiencing Coronavirus infection symptoms:

• First, stay calm. All the CDC approved COVID-19 vaccinations have been shown to prevent most people from getting sick but this is still a very new situation. Scientists are still learning how long the effects of the vaccine last, how well they prevent the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19 to others, etc.
• Second, stay at home (self-quarantine) unless you are having shortness of breath. If you are having shortness of breath you should get medical help.
• Third, determine whether you need to be seen by a doctor by calling your doctor for telemedicine (Note: If your doctor doesn’t provide telemedicine, you are welcome to call Zion Urgent Care’s direct line for telemedical care – 832-447-6454 – Monday – Friday 9AM-9PM and Saturdays 9AM-3PM).
• Fourth, when your symptoms have subsided, consider getting a quantitative reading of your body’s antibody response to your COVID-19 vaccination to gain a clearer sense of how your body is doing. Click this link for more details on this option Zion Urgent Care Clinic has secured with a specialized laboratory, Allermetrix.

What Should You Do If You’re Highly Likely To Have Coronavirus infection:

• First, don’t panic. Not even everyone who contracts the virus needs special medical care so keeping a clear head is important.
• Second, as noted above, it is best to stay at home (self-quarantine) unless you are having shortness of breath. In that case, you should get medical help.
• Third, determine whether you need to be seen by a doctor (Note: If your doctor doesn’t provide telemedicine, you are welcome to call Zion Urgent Care’s direct line for telemedical care – 832-447-6454 – Monday – Friday 9AM-9PM and Saturdays 9AM-3PM).

If You Potentially Have the Coronavirus, Whether You Are Told to Go to ER or to Stay at Home and Self-quarantine, Don’t Forget To:

• Use a mask (note: it doesn’t have to be N-95, any surgical mask will help) when you are around other people (e.g., sharing a room or vehicle) or pets and before you enter a healthcare provider’s office.
• Cover your coughs and sneezes and immediately wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or, if soap and water are not available, clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.
• Avoid sharing personal household items, dishes, drinking glasses, cups, eating utensils, towels, or bedding with other people or pets in your home and Wash the items thoroughly after use.
• Clean and disinfect: “high touch surfaces” which include counters, tabletops, doorknobs, bathroom fixtures, toilets, phones, keyboards, tablets, and bedside tables

Here to serve you, your family, and team today ,

Dr Teddy Teketel, M.D.
Zion Urgent Care Clinic.

However, our bodies are affected by antibiotic overprescription in even more significant ways. For example, a new study has shown that taking antibiotics can weaken your immune system. The study shows that antibiotics “are producing changes that are actually counterproductive to the treatment effort. They reduce the bacterial susceptibility to antibiotics, and the drugs themselves reduce the functional benefit of the immune cells.”

In addition to weakening our immune systems, overuse of antibiotics can impair the effectiveness of vaccines in babies. An Australian study “hypothesizes that antibiotics can disrupt an infant’s developing gut microbiome, which can subsequently reduce the effectiveness of a vaccination.” This disruption of a person’s microbiome has also been shown to make flu infections worse by wiping out important gut bacteria. “New research led by scientists from the Francis Crick Institute in London is suggesting not only are antibiotics ineffective for individuals suffering from influenza, but they can actually worsen the initial viral infection.”

Antibiotics in our Environment

Even more alarming, even if we are vigilant about limiting our own antibiotic consumption, our waterways and food sources are teeming with antibiotics. “In a massive global study, led by researchers at the University of York, hundreds of rivers around the world have been tested for levels of common antibiotics. The study found 65 percent of all samples contained some concentration of antibiotics, with the worst cases showing levels more than 300 times higher than the generally accepted safe threshold.”

At Zion Urgent Care Clinic, our board-certified providers are extremely careful about prescribing antibiotics. Call or text us at 832.447.6454 if you are not feeling well. No appointments are necessary and wait times are short!