Call centre & authorisations
0861 083 084

FOR ALL UP TO DATE COVID-19 INFORMATION, GO TO WWW.SACORONAVIRUS.CO.ZA

COVID-19 PROCEDURES TO QUALIFY FOR BENEFITS

COVID-19 benefits have been declared Prescribed Minimum Benefits. That means the Scheme will pay for the diagnosis, treatment, and care of COVID-19.

However, the Scheme will pay for the services when this procedure is followed.

WILL YOU PAY FOR MY COVID-19 TEST?

Yes, if you have been referred by a doctor after he/she has evaluated your risk as defined by NICD.

WHEN WILL MY COVID-19 TEST NOT BE PAID?

The test will not be paid if it is requested by your employer.
Second tests will not be paid.

The Scheme has designated the Rx Health team who provide our clinical call centre services.

We categorise responses as follows:

1. IF YOU ARE WORRIED, BUT WELL AND FREE OF SYMPTOMS

What to do

Send “Hi” to our COVID-19
WhatsApp number 060 070 2094

IF YOU ARE STILL WORRIED, click here to complete the free questioinnaire

Complete the free questionnaire that will help to identify whether you are at risk/should talk to a healthcare member.

Note that the consultation with the medical staff will be charged to your Scheme benefits.

How we will respond

You will be guided through signs, symptoms, contacts, and information about where to go and what to do.

A Professional Nurse will review your questionnaire, under the supervision of the doctor, and:

If the doctor confirms that you are likely infected, you may be referred for a test.
The nurse will contact you and send you for the test.
If you have symptoms, but do not require a test, the Nurse will inform you.

2. WHEN YOU SUSPECT THAT YOU MAY HAVE BEEN EXPOSED

What must you do

See below for examples of “close contact situations” and contact our staff member immediately on 0861 083 084 if these apply (tell the staff that you suspect COVID-19 infection).

How we will respond

A Professional Nurse will work through the list with you, collect additional information and submit your results for assessment.

If a risk of infection is identified, we will refer your information immediately to the doctor.
If the doctor confirms that you are likely infected, we will contact you with specific test instructions.
If you have symptoms but do not require a test, the Nurse will inform you.

(You will not test positive immediately after exposure. The current tests will only show that you are infected from four days after exposure)

3. WHEN YOU HAVE BEEN EXPOSED

What must you do

Check your symptoms, by completing the free questionnaire

(This is necessary because of the flu season and the similarity of some symptoms.)

If you do not get a response in two hours, call 0861 083 084, and tell them that you have COVID-19 symptoms.

How we will respond

The nursing team will respond immediately. They will check your questionnaire, clarify symptoms, and consult the doctor for further instructions.

Your details will be added to our COVID-19 register to ensure that other services that qualify are authorised. We will follow up with you telephonically twice a week.

4. YOU TESTED POSITIVE AND RECOVERED – WHAT NOW?

ONCE YOU HAVE RECOVERED:

PRECAUTIONS. Regularly and thoroughly clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Maintain at least 1.5-meter distance between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unclean hands.
LIFESTYLE. Avoid excessive drinking, and smoking, get enough sleep and maintain a routine.
EAT HEALTHY FOODS containing vitamins to boost your immune system and help fight infections:
- Vitamin A is present in Sweet potatoes, carrots, spinach, kale, pumpkin, cantaloupe.
- B vitamins are present in Animal products (meat, fish, dairy, eggs), and leafy greens.
- Vitamin C is present in Citrus, strawberries, kiwis, red peppers, broccoli.
- Vitamin D is present in Sunlight, oily fish (salmon, sardines), meat, chicken, eggs, fortified cereals, margarine, beans, broccoli, and mushrooms.
- Vitamin E is present in Nuts and oils from the likes of soybean, corn, canola and sunflower.
EXERCISE. Exercise only from one week after your symptoms have cleared up. Thereafter, gradually reintroduce exercise, e.g. walking for 10 minutes a day for 7 days, then 20 minutes a day for 7 days, then 30 minutes a day.
SUNLIGHT. Ensure that you are in the sun at least 10 minutes a day but avoid sunburn.
MONITOR YOUR TEMPERATURE. Scan your temperature once a day.

RE-INFECTION

If you develop fever or other COVID-19 symptoms, contact us immediately.
If you develop breathlessness or very fast heart rate, contact us immediately or go to your nearest emergency facility. Call them in advance to advise them of your symptoms. They will tell you what you need to do on arrival.

5. WHAT EXACTLY ARE THE SELF-ISOLATION AND QUARANTINE REQUIREMENTS

Self-isolation is keeping to yourself for 14-days after you have been in contact with COVID-19 positive person.

You may, for instance, go for a walk in the countryside where there is no-one else, and you must avoid contact with relatives, friends, and colleagues. You must stay in isolation for 14 days if you have been in contact. You must also avoid public places and public transport.

Quarantine is remaining at home away from other people if you have tested positive for COVID-19.

You should stay at home for 2 weeks plus the resolution of the main symptoms (fever and shortness of breath). Loss of smell and taste can take a lot longer to go away, so if these are improving but not gone, yet main symptoms have gone, it is okay to go out of quarantine.

6. WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I HAVE SYMPTOMS BUT CANNOT GET TESTED?

What to do

Stay at home for 14 days.
DO NOT go to work.
DO NOT use public transport.
DO NOT go to public spaces.
DO NOT go shopping.
DO NOT visit anyone.
DO stay calm.
DO ensure you have family members on hand who can help you get shopping and things you may need.
DO keep connected to people you care about by phone and video calls.

7. IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER

Never enter any medical facility, pharmacy, or doctor’s rooms if you suspect that you contracted COVID-19. Phone them, inform them of your symptoms and follow their instructions.
Having had contact with a person that may have contacted covid-19 or that tested positive is not a medical emergency.
It is essential that you follow strict isolation instructions.
The Scheme will pay for the test even if the result is negative when you have been referred by a medical practitioner.
If your doctor has a COVID-19 specific request, ask them to call us on 0861 083 084, mention that it relates to COVID-19 and speak to one of our senior nursing practitioners.
If your employer asks you to go for a test, then your employer must pay the cost of the test.
All Scheme rules apply, e.g. pre-authorisation, update every 24 hours, etc.

WHAT IS A CLOSE CONTACT?

Close contact of a probable or confirmed case is defined as:

A person living in the same household as a COVID-19 case.

A person having had direct physical contact with a COVID-19 case (e.g. shaking hands)

A person having unprotected direct contact with infectious secretions of a COVID-19 case (e.g. being coughed on, touching used paper tissues with a bare hand)

A person having had face-to-face contact with a COVID-19 case within 2 metres and for longer than 15 minutes.

A person who was in a closed environment (e.g. classroom, meeting room, hospital waiting room, car etc.) with a COVID-19 case for 15 minutes or more and within two metres.

A person providing direct care for a COVID-19 case, or laboratory workers handling specimens from a COVID-19 case without recommended personal protective equipment (PPE) or with a possible breach of PPE.

A contact on public transport such as a bus, sitting within two seats (in any direction) of the COVID-19 case, travel companions or persons providing care, and crew members.

UMVUZO HEALTH COVID-19 BENEFIT GUIDELINE

Here you will find all relevant and new information for your safety on Covid-19.

Click on the image to download: