COVID-19 Info
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) information and resources
If you're concerned or feeling ill
If you are an established Mass General Brigham patient with a primary care provider, we recommend you contact your primary care provider’s office by phone or message your doctor through Patient Gateway if you have symptoms that may indicate exposure to COVID-19 or if you believe you have been exposed.
You should get tested if you have symptoms of COVID-19 (cough, fever, loss of smell/taste, muscle aches, runny nose, shortness of breath and sore throat) or have been in close contact with someone with COVID-19.
Please do not go to the emergency room for COVID-19 testing unless told to do so by your health care provider.
As always, if you are having a medical emergency, please dial 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.
-
Use the COVID-19 Screener online tool
This always-on web tool allows patients who have symptoms of COVID-19 – or who are concerned about exposure to COVID-19 – to walk through a few automated online questions. At the end of the brief assessment, patients will be directed to next steps based on their health status.
-
Call the COVID-19 Nurse Hotline
If you are unable to reach your Mass General Brigham provider or do not have a primary care provider, you can call the Mass General Brigham COVID-19 Nurse Line at (617) 724-7000.
Available from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 7 days a week (Monday through Sunday), nurses can respond to general or specific questions about COVID-19 for those who have symptoms, believe they may have been exposed, or are looking to learn more.
If testing or treatment is needed, the nurses will guide you through next steps. Interpreters can be added to calls for patients who need it. The nurse hotline is available to anyone that is a Mass General Brigham patient, regardless of immigration status or insurance.
Please note the Nurse Hotline is not able to schedule or answer questions about elective testing, such as testing for travel but do not have symptoms.
-
Launch a video visit at On Demand
Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, our On Demand virtual visit platform is suggested for those who have symptoms of COVID-19 and/or have underlying conditions that may put them at greater risk. A doctor or advanced practitioner will conduct an intake assessment via a secure video visit and recommend next steps. Note: This service is only available to established Mass General Brigham patients in Massachusetts.
Learn more about On Demand -
About testing
If you have symptoms or have been in close contact with someone who has COVID-19, testing is an important way to protect your family, friends, and community. To get tested for these health reasons, contact your Mass General Brigham doctor's office or call the Mass General Brigham COVID-19 Nurse Hotline (617-724-7000, Monday–Saturday 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m.).
Getting care at our facilities during COVID-19
Mask policy
All patients will be supplied with a procedural or surgical mask, which must be worn as part of our continued efforts to protect our health care workers and our patients and to combat community spread. If you have a mask from home, you will be asked to replace it with the mask we provide.
Visitor policy
We’ve recently changed our visitor policy. Mass General Brigham hospitals will generally not allow visitors. There are limited exceptions for essential visitors and support persons.
Preparing for your office visit
If you have an in-person office appointment coming up, please review information below regarding our mask and visitor policies, as well as information on what to expect and do before and the day of your appointment.
Read about what your office visit
Online Prescreen for patients and visitors
To enter a Mass General Brigham facility, patients and visitors on the day of their visit are screened for COVID-19 symptoms and risks. Save time, and use the new, simple Mass General Brigham Prescreen tool.
Riding our shuttles
To ensure the safety of all individuals riding our shuttles, we will be strictly enforcing proper masking and hand-hygiene policies on all vehicles.
General COVID-19 information
The COVID-19 virus spreads easily through respiratory droplets, such as when a person sick with the virus coughs or sneezes near another person.
It may also be possible to get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching your mouth, nose, or eyes, although this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.
-
Prevention
- Wash your hands often with soap and warm water, scrubbing for a least 20 seconds and then rinsing thoroughly. If soap and water are not available to wash your hands, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol.
- Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze and then throw the tissue in the trash before washing your hands with soap and water.
- Clean and disinfect surfaces you touch frequently like door handles, cell phones, tablets, and computers.
- Avoid contact with people who are sick or who may be sick with COVID-19 symptoms.
- Stay home when you can to lower the probability of getting the virus or potentially spreading it to others.
- If you must go out, avoid crowds and keep at least 6 feet away from people outside of your home while practicing social distancing.
-
Public resources
The COVID-19 situation is changing rapidly, and we recommend that patients monitor information:
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Massachusetts Department of Public Health
- New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services
- Mass.gov's state-of-emergency webpage for updates
You also can call the Massachusetts COVID-19 hotline for information by dialing 211, 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.
Massachusetts residents also can subscribe to real-time COVID-19 notifications from public health officials by texting the keyword "COVIDMA" to 888-777.
Safe Care Commitment
To everyone who needs us now, come get the care you deserve. Our Safe Care Commitment is in effect across our system to provide the safest possible environment for our patients, visitors and staff.
We screen to protect you, your families, and our staff
We clean our hands and spaces and make it easy for you to do the same
We protect everyone in our environment
How to help
-
Donate blood
As a result of COVID-19, many blood drives were canceled, and there is a critical shortage. Donating blood is an essential activity during this challenging time. It is a safe process with many precautions in place to take care of both donors and staff.
If you're healthy and feeling well, consider making an appointment to donate blood. You can find more information at the following institutions' websites:
Brigham and Women’s Hospital / Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
-
Participate in research
Research studies related to COVID-19 are underway across Mass General Brigham. Some studies are seeking volunteers from the general public and health care workers.
-
Give now
We are currently accepting monetary donations for emergency response centrally at Mass General Brigham and at our hospitals and care providers:
Brigham and Women's Faulkner Hospital
Massachusetts General Hospital
Spaulding Rehabilitation Network and Partners HealthCare at Home
