While COVID-19 cases leveled off in Texas in September, the virus isn’t going away soon. In most of the U.S., Europe and now in Texas, new cases and hospitalizations are trending up.

Cindy Sickora, DNP, RN, clinical professor and vice dean of practice and engagement in the School of Nursing, doesn’t see San Antonio being spared.

“We are in kind of a lull right now, but I don’t expect that to last for long,” Dr. Sickora said Oct. 22. “The holidays are coming, and who knows?”

Dr. Sickora oversees all clinical activities within the School of Nursing, including COVID-19 testing for UT Health San Antonio faculty, staff, residents and students through Wellness 360. Campus positivity rates are updated weekly here.

Should a rise in cases occur, she said, “we’re ready in terms of testing.”

Dr. Sickora said that anyone experiencing COVID-19 symptoms should call the hotline at 210-450-8000 and speak to one of the nurses. A drive-thru appointment for testing may be scheduled for the next morning at a tent set up in the parking lot near the School of Nursing entrance. The nasal swab PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests are analyzed in the Long School of Medicine’s Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, and results are available the same day.

Dr. Sickora added that the nursing school is administering over 1,100 screenings every week, including 600 to 700 mostly student-athletes at UTSA and another 500 at the Center for Oral Health Care and Research, the School of Dentistry’s primary clinical location.