Increasing COVID rates: Telehealth and Limited In-Person Appointments Available

Dallas County, like much of the rest of the country, is starting to see a significant increase in COVID positivity. Testing data is less consistent and reliable (with unreported home-testing options), so our best information is currently coming from wastewater analysis (see graphs below). If Dallas County's COVID-19 cases rise into the Orange risk/community spread range, appointments will shift to Telehealth until case numbers decline.

September 2023 update: the latest bivalent boosters are now available at local pharmacies.

At present, in-person appointments remain available, however clients are asked to switch to Telehealth if they are experiencing related symptoms or have had a recent COVID exposure. In-person appointments are limited and must be explicitly scheduled in advance. Prior to scheduling an in-person appointment, clients are asked to:

• discuss potential risks and benefits (including personal and household) 
• be symptom-free for at least 24-hours. 
• have had no known exposure to someone who has tested positive or has suspected COVID-19 within the past 48 hours
• either (a) be current with recommended COVID-19 boosters, (b) have recovered from COVID-19 in the past 6 months, or (c) remain masked during their in-person session.
• be aware that COVID-19 symptoms and seasonal allergies may have a similar presentation. If you have a new onset of symptoms, please shift to Telehealth for that day. (Note: Symptoms of the currently dominant variants may include fatigue, sore throat, cough, headache, rash, and/or altered sense of smell. For some, these begin as mild symptoms and may increase in severity after 3-5 days, at which point you may have been contagious for several days and be beyond the effective window for medications to minimize symptom severity.)
• be aware that in-person appointments may also be shifted to Telehealth if the clinician is experiencing symptoms or has had an exposure.

Telehealth will remain open as an option to all clients should they feel unwell, or if they simply prefer the convenience of Telehealth sessions. 

If you are experiencing symptoms, have been exposed to COVID-19, or have tested positive, you can read current CDC recommendations and use the Isolation and Exposure Calculator here to determine whether or how long you need to isolate and other steps to prevent spreading COVID-19.  ​