North Texas doctor answers some of the most asked questions about coronavirus

Fears over the fast-spreading coronavirus have triggered lists of questions.

FOX4 gathered some of the most asked questions to present to a doctor who owns three urgent care clinics in North Texas.

Dr. Nick Karr said that even though commercial labs are now offering a COVID-19 test, people should not be rushing to their doctor to get tested.

Dr. Karr is using social media to help educate the community about the virus.

“The difficult thing about coronavirus is that it's such a range of symptoms,” he explained.

Dr. Karr owns Sinai Urgent Care, with several locations across the Metroplex.

On average, he said his clinics each see 40 to 50 patients per day.

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He said concerns about the coronavirus could bring in even more people who are worried they may have it.

“We have a sign up on the desk asking a series of questions, broad questions,” Dr. Karr said.

From there, people with symptoms will be taken into a specific room for screening.

But despite the growing availability of COVID-19 kits, Dr. Karr said patients should not run to their doctor's office to be tested.

“The problem is we're reaching a lot of bottlenecks with some of these lab testing services,” he said. “So the idea that patients can come in and get tested for it, even as of right now, we're challenged getting some of the supplies needed to do the testing.”

Even if the test becomes readily available, Dr. Karr said not everyone should be tested.

“They're really looking for patients with specific characteristics. You know, fever, signs of lower respiratory infections. Things indicating more severe infection,” he explained.

He’s trying to calm concerns by keeping the public up to date on his social media channels.

He said practicing good hand hygiene is the key line of defense. Washing hands for at least 20 seconds with antibacterial soap.

“We're still learning a lot about the virus on a daily, and even hourly basis,” he added.

Like other medical providers, Dr. Karr said he'll continue to defer to the CDC for guidance.

“I would recommend being a little more cautious about public places,” he said.

Dr. Karr recommends staying home if you don't need to go out, and he also suggests working from home, if that's an option.