Adults of any age with certain underlying medical conditions are at increased risk for severe illness from the virus that causes COVID-19. Severe illness from COVID-19 is defined as hospitalization, admission to the ICU, intubation or mechanical ventilation, or death.
Adults of any age with certain underlying medical conditions are at increased risk for severe illness from the virus that causes COVID-19. Severe illness from COVID-19 is defined as hospitalization, admission to the ICU, intubation or mechanical ventilation, or death. Adults of any age with the following conditions are at increased risk of severe illness from the virus that causes COVID-19:

• Cancer
• Chronic kidney disease
• COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
• Heart conditions, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathies
• Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) from solid organ transplant
• Obesity (body mass index [BMI] of 30 kg/m2 or higher but < 40 kg/m2)
• Severe Obesity (BMI ≥ 40 kg/m2)
• Pregnancy
• Sickle cell disease
• Smoking
• Type 2 diabetes mellitus

COVID-19 is a new disease. Currently, there are limited data and information about the impact of many underlying medical conditions and whether they increase the risk for severe illness from COVID-19. Based on what we know at this time, adults of any age with the following conditions might be at an increased risk for severe illness from the virus that causes COVID-19:

• Asthma (moderate-to-severe)
• Cerebrovascular disease (affects blood vessels and blood supply to the brain)
• Cystic fibrosis
• Hypertension or high blood pressure
• Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) from blood or bone marrow transplant, immune deficiencies, HIV, use of corticosteroids, or use of other immune weakening medicines
• Neurologic conditions, such as dementia
• Liver disease
• Overweight (BMI > 25 kg/m2, but < 30 kg/m2)
• Pulmonary fibrosis (having damaged or scarred lung tissues)
• Thalassemia (a type of blood disorder)
• Type 1 diabetes mellitus

Before traveling for business purposes – see question 6 for additional information
When an employee has symptoms of COVID-19.
When an employee had close contact (within 6 feet for a total of 15 minutes or more) with someone with confirmed COVID-19.
When an employee have been asked or referred to get tested by their healthcare provider.

Contact Pathcare Vermaak on Tel and Email for us to test your employees at your premises.
We have a streamlined, convenient, easy, COVID-19 testing solution for your business.

Travelers who are not suspecting a COVID-19 infection do not need a referral from their healthcare provider.

If you are travelling out of South Africa by air, road, rail or sea, many destination countries require travellers to provide the following before leaving the country and arriving at your destination country:

• A negative SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR (COVID-19 RT-PCR) test result
• Your sample for the COVID-19 RT-PCR test must be collected and tested within 48 or 72 hours prior to your departure/border crossing, depending on the requirements of the final destination country
• Your test must be performed by a SANAS accredited laboratory
• If travelling to China, in addition to the above, you are also required to have a negative COVID-19 IgM Antibody test result

As a SANAS accredited and ISO-certified medical pathology laboratory, PathCare Vermaak Laboratories performs COVID-19 RT-PCR tests and COVID-19 IgM Antibody tests for Travellers on a self-referral basis.