Coronavirus Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. This policy covers all MD Anderson locations, including Houston-area locations and the Texas Medical Center. Adult patients with outpatient clinic appointments, outpatient procedures or surgeries, and patients receiving care in the Acute Cancer Care Center can bring one adult visitor or caregiver (18 and older) who passes entry screening. The caregiver must be able and willing to wear the provided mask.

We encourage all caregivers to get tested for COVID-19 before coming to the hospital but it is not required. If you have symptoms or a known or suspected infection, stay home and get tested.

Caregivers should not accompany patients if they have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 7 days, are symptomatic or have had a household member who has tested positive in the past 14 days.

MD Anderson has different quarantine guidelines for employees and visitors to protect our immunocompromised patients.

Patients who test positive for COVID-19 need to quarantine for 14 days before they can return to MD Anderson, provided they have been fever-free without the use of fever-reducing medicines for 24 hours and other symptoms are improving. Care teams will reschedule appointments until after patients complete their 14-day quarantine. The test date is considered Day 1 of the 14-day quarantine.

Masks are required in all areas regardless of your vaccination status. There's no data available to confirm COVID-19 vaccines prevent transmission of disease. This means you may still get an asymptomatic infection even after you've been vaccinated and/or you could pass it to someone else. Masking keeps everyone safe and reduces the spread of infection.

MD Anderson is committed to the safety of our patients, their visitors and employees. Before a visit, review our current COVID-19 safety processes on our COVID-19 information page.

If you have fever, cough or shortness of breath, contact your care team before your appointment.

Adult patients may bring one adult visitor or caregiver (18 and older) per day.

Everyone must pass entry screening and wear an MD Anderson-issued face mask at all times.

Patients who test positive for COVID-19 need to quarantine for 14 days before they can return to MD Anderson, provided they have been fever-free without the use of fever-reducing medicines for 24 hours and other symptoms are improving. Care teams will reschedule appointments until after patients complete their 14-day quarantine. The test date is considered Day 1 of the 14-day quarantine.

Starting Monday, March 28, inpatients may have 1 adulte (age 18 or older) caregiver at the bedside at all times. An additional adult visitor may visit during visitation hours.

Visiting hours are 1 to 9 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends and holidays.

The bedside caregiver and the daily visitor may switch out daily if desired. Only 1 visitor or caregiver is allowed entry per day and they are asked to stay in the patient rooms whenever possible. This requirement is important for limiting the number of people coming in and out of the hospital and protecting our patients with weakened immune systems. (Please note: The Rotary House is not considered part of the hospital and would require re-entry screening.)

Please plan to arrive to your appointment 15 minutes earlier than usual to be able to park and allow time for screening prior to entering the building.

Patients who test positive for COVID-19 may be eligible for therapies that can help limit severe infection. Read more in Cancerwise. If you have COVID-19 symptoms, contact your care team and get tested.

Be aware:

Treatment

• Oral antiviral COVID-19 therapies: Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir tablets; ritonavir tablets) and Lagevrio (molnupiravir) are currently available in limited supply for outpatients. Supply may also be available at select external community pharmacies; please check Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) COVID-19 Therapeutics Locator for the latest availability (stock reported accurate to within the last day).
• Monoclonal antibody therapies for treatment of COVID-19 that retain activity against the omicron variant are not available at MD Anderson at this time.

New COVID-19 therapies will continue to be considered in the future as information and approvals become available from the FDA.

Pre-exposure prevention

Evusheld is a combination of two antibody therapies (tixagevimab/cilgavimab). It is authorized by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for pre-exposure prevention of COVID-19 in certain high-risk patients. You can review the Evusheld fact sheet for patients and caregivers. This agent is not approved for treatment or post-exposure.

MD Anderson supply is currently limited. Our teams are developing a process for outpatient administration. Eligible patients will be contacted by their providers once the process is ready. You do not need to contact your care team about this process.

Some dining areas at all of our locations are open, and offer expanded seating.

To ensure safety, infection control and social distancing protocols will still be in place.

Valet service at our Texas Medical Center Campus resumes for our patients and visitors Monday, Aug. 2. The free cell lots will close the same day as they will be used to support valet services.

The following locations offer valet:

Radiology Outpatient Center
Monday – Friday
6 a.m. – 11 p.m.
By appointment only.

Main Building Aquarium entrance, The Pavilion and Mays Clinic
7 days a week
6 a.m. – 11 p.m.

Rotary House
24/7
Only available for hotel guests and their visitors.

The Radiation Treatment Center entrance will open and valet will resume Monday, Aug. 16, once a construction project on nearby flood gates concludes. This location will be available Monday through Friday, from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The Learning Center libraries located in Mays Clinic, Floor 2, and in the Main Building, Floor 4, are open to patients and their visitors.

In the Learning Center, patients and their visitors must social distance and wear MD Anderson-issued face masks while inside. No eating or drinking is allowed. Staff provide requested materials to patients. 

The Learning Center staff can answer your questions, conduct research and assist you to find answers by email. Contact us at asktlcstaff@mdanderson.org. You may also visit our website mdanderson.org/tlc. If you are seeking cancer health information, visit Recommended Resources at http://mdandersontlc.libguides.com/home. These online guides connect you to the information you need. Many of the booklets that you find in The Learning Center can be found on the Recommended Resources.

Ice and water dispensers in public areas are available for patients and visitors.

Volunteers are an important part of the MD Anderson community, and we have begun the phased return of volunteers to all MD Anderson campuses. 

New volunteer recruitment remains paused at this time.

At all employee entrances, employees and badged contractors must badge in to agree to the COVID-19 attestation and to track who is on our campuses. The attestation statements include:

• I do not have a cough more than usual, sore throat, or shortness of breath.
• I do not have a fever.
• I do not have a pending COVID-19 test that was done for symptoms.
• If I have had a positive COVID-19 test in the past 7 days, I have followed all institutional quarantine and return-to-work guidelines from Employee Health.
• If I live with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 7 days, I confirm that I have followed all institutional quarantine and return-to-work guidelines from Employee Health.
• I have completed the MD Anderson PPE training and will comply with institutional PPE guidelines.

Workforce members under contract with MD Anderson may continue to visit our campuses but must adhere to screening precautions. Badged contractors can use employee entrances to attest to screening questions. Non-badge vendors may enter through patient/visitor entrances and must answer no to all of the visitor screening questions.

Visitor questions:

• Do you have a temperature more than 100.4°F/38°C today?
• Have you had a fever (more than 100.4°F/38°C) or chills in the past 7 days?
• Do you have a cough more than usual, sore throat, or shortness of breath?
• Do you have a pending coronavirus disease (COVID-19) test that was done for symptoms?
• Have you had a positive COVID-19 test in the past 7 days?
• Has anyone in your household tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 14 days?

The Rotary House skybridge has reopened so patients and visitors can walk between the Rotary House and the Main Building after being screened. The Rotary House skybridge is open Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. On the weekends, follow the signs to Faculty Center to access the skybridge to the Main Building.

Yes. The Rotary House is a mask required area. At MD Anderson, masks are required in all areas. Every patient and visitor will be given a face mask when entering our campus. For everyone's safety, we ask that you wear the MD Anderson-issued face mask the entire time you are on our campus. This will replace your cloth mask or a mask you brought from home.

No, guests of all ages are welcome at the Rotary House. For more details on our visitor policy for clinical areas, please review our COVID-19 information page.

Due to our response to COVID-19, all blood donations at MD Anderson Blood Donor Center locations are being held by appointment only to help control donor flow and manage the amount of individuals in one room. We must also be cautious about accepting donors who may have traveled internationally. Therefore, anyone who has traveled outside of the U.S. in the past 14 days will not be able to donate.

It is safe to donate blood during this time. COVID-19 is not a bloodborne disease. It’s a respiratory virus, and there has been no evidence that COVID-19 could be transmitted or contracted through a blood donation or a blood transfusion. There is currently a critical need for blood donations. By rolling up your sleeves, you can help to ensure an adequate blood supply for our patients during this challenging time.

Donors have to pass entry screening and wear an MD Anderson-issued face mask.

Due to space limitations, we’ll continue to restrict visitors in these spaces.

Learn more on our Blood Bank website.