Sphinx Home Health Care is committed to providing home health care services with the highest professional, ethical, and safety standards. Part of this commitment is providing you, our employees, with education to keep you safe. With the current media attention on COVID-19, we understand you may have questions about what is true and what is not, and how that may affect you, your loved ones, and our clients. Please review the frequently asked questions and answers found in our Employee Education Tool to equip yourself with correct, current information about the virus—and hopefully put your mind at ease, as well.

Important Resources

FAQs include answers to the following questions:

What is Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)?

  • It is a new Coronavirus that was originally detected in Wuhan, China, that has become a global pandemic of respiratory disease spreading from person-to-person. This situation poses a serious public health risk. The federal government is working closely with state, local, tribal, and territorial partners, as well as public health partners, to respond to this situation. COVID-19 can cause mild to severe illness; most severe illness occurs in older adults.

What precautions should I take to avoid getting sick?

  • Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
  • Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue.
  • Don’t touch your eyes, nose, or mouth, especially with unwashed hands.
  • Avoid close contact with individuals who are showing symptoms of illness.
  • Clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces often.
  • Stay home if you are sick.

What is SPHINX HHC doing to keep me safe?

  • SPHINX’s Infection Prevention Program provides the highest standards of infection prevention practices as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
  • We consistently educate our clinical staff and provide oversight to ensure that they are following all the recommended standards.
  • Our employees are educated not to come to work if they are sick and to use personal protective equipment (gloves, surgical masks) when caring for any client with signs and symptoms of respiratory illness. All employees are now wearing surgical masks when providing care to all other patients.
  • SPHINX employees are provided with education and support to recognize signs and symptoms of COVID-19, persons at risk, and measures to take when caring for patients with or exposed to COVID-19.
  • Employees are also self-screening for symptoms prior to the start of any patient visit.
  • SPHINX is following CDC travel-related guidelines, which instruct all international travelers to stay home for 14 days after returning from travel, monitoring their health, and practicing social distancing.
  • We are encouraging clients to notify the SPHINX office if they or someone they have had contact with have recently traveled internationally or had exposure to someone with COVID-19.
  • SPHINX has established processes to facilitate communication and to provide daily updates to all of our employees nationwide as the situation continues to evolve, to keep you and the SPHINX caregivers safe.

What are the symptoms of COVID-19?

There are a wide range of symptoms of COVID-19 reported, ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness:

  • Fever
  • Cough
  • Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
  • Chills
  • Repeated shaking with chills
  • Muscle pain
  • Headache
  • Sore throat
  • New onset of loss of taste or smell

How is Novel Coronavirus spread?

The virus is spread mainly from person-to-person:

  • Between people who are in close contact with one another (within about six feet).
  • From respiratory droplets produced when an infected individual coughs or sneezes.

How soon after exposure to COVID-19 do signs and symptoms occur?

  • Symptoms occur anywhere from 2 to 14 days after exposure to the virus.

Where can I go for more information on COVID-19?

  • Please reach out to your SPHINX office with any questions.
  • For real-time updates on COVID-19, please visit cdc.gov.