COVID-19

The answer to whether or not you should wash your mask is of course, yes! Masks should be washed on a regular basis depending on the frequency of use and using a washing machine should suffice as a proper way to clean and sterilize your mask. It is also recommended that you should be careful to refrain from touching your eyes, nose or mouth, when removing the mask from your face and be sure to wash your hands immediately after.

The CDC has recently recommended that all people wear a cloth face mask in public settings to slow the spread of the virus, because even those who do not experience symptoms right away, may be carrying COVID-19 and not know. Facemasks come in a variety of forms, from the ones normally seen worn by medical professionals, to the ones you can make at home, so it’s easy to see why you may have some questions as to if you are doing it right. The CDC has made some recommendations on how to wear your mask and who shouldn’t be wearing them, so we have listed them below.

How to wear a cloth face covering:

• It should fit snugly but also be comfortable around the side of the face
• It should be secured with ties or ear loops
• It’s important that it includes multiple layers of fabric
• It should allow you to breathe easily and without any restriction
• It should also be able to be washed and machined dried without any damage or change to shape or size

Who shouldn’t wear a mask?

It’s noted that cloth face coverings should not be placed on young children under the age of 2, anyone who has trouble breathing, or is unconscious or otherwise unable to remove the mask without assistance.

In this unprecedented time, it’s crucial that we feel safe and prepared to protect and help our families. In addition to following the guidelines under, “How to protect yourself”, the CDC has listed a few ideas to help you feel more prepared to handle the virus and ensure your family’s safety.

• Create a plan of action to protect you and your family’s health and talk it over with the people who need to be included, so everyone is on the same page.
• Put a plan in place to help care for those who are at greater risk for serious complications, in particular, older adults and those with medical conditions related to their heart, lungs or kidneys.
• Get to know your neighbors and find out if there is any community website or social media platform that can help all he local residents stay in touch.
• Create a list of emergency contacts that include family, healthcare providers, neighbors and other community resources.

The CDC reports that based on evidence so far, children do not appear to have any heightened risk for COVID-19 than adults have. Now while some children and infants may have contracted the virus, adults currently make up the majority of cases we have seen. There are other groups of people and those with underlying health conditions that may be at higher risk and that is described in greater detail under “Who is at risk?”.

So far the symptoms of COVID-19 in children are similar to those we have seen in adults. It has also been noted that children who are confirmed to have had the virus, tend to show mild symptoms that consist of a fever, runny nose and cough; vomiting and diarrhea have also been reported. It is also unknown at this time whether some children with underlying health conditions are at a greater risk for severe illness, but there is still much information to be gathered about the impact COVID-19 has on children.

The possibility of warm weather playing a significant role in reducing the rate of transmission of COVID-19 is a topic that has gained a lot of traction. However, at this point the CDC reports it is not yet known what affect the weather and temperature will have on COVID-19. It is not unusual for other viruses that cause the common cold and flu, to spread more in the cold weather months than they do in the warm weather months. This does not however, mean it’s impossible to become sick during the warm weather months, so with new information still being gathered on the topic, no definite determination has been made on the potential role a change in weather may have.

COVID-19 is a new coronavirus that has not been previously identified and it is not the same coronavirus that we commonly see circulating and causing mild illness, such as the common cold. The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a fairly new respiratory illness that was first reported in Wuhan, China, on December 31, 2019. The unfamiliar nature of COVID-19 has lent itself to a variety of unknowns and with new information coming available on a daily basis, the situation is rapidly evolving.

The answer to whether or not you should wash your mask is of course, yes! Masks should be washed on a regular basis depending on the frequency of use and using a washing machine should suffice as a proper way to clean and sterilize your mask. It is also recommended that you should be careful to refrain from touching your eyes, nose or mouth, when removing the mask from your face and be sure to wash your hands immediately after.

The Coronavirus is an infectious respiratory illness that has shown to provide different levels of severity and symptoms on a person to person basis. The symptoms associated with the virus are known to appear within 2-14 days after exposure and the symptoms have ranged from mild to severe illness and even death in some cases. The following symptoms have been commonly associated with COVID-19:

• Fever
• Cough
• Shortness of breath

The CDC has also developed some emergency warning signs for COVID-19 and if you are experiencing any of these symptoms, you should seek immediate medical attention:

• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breathe
• Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
• New confusion or inability to arouse
• Bluish lips or face

With COVID-19 and the Flu having shown to produce similar symptoms, the two have been linked together from the beginning. Both COVID-19 and the Flu are infectious respiratory illnesses and share some of the same characteristics so it can be difficult to tell the difference between the two. Some of the similarities they share are in the symptoms, as they are both known to cause fever, cough, body aches and fatigue. Both illnesses can also result in pneumonia and are not able to be treated by antibiotics since they are viruses and antibiotics only work on bacterial infections. It is key to note as well, that COVID-19 is caused by one virus, the novel 2019 coronavirus, while the flu is caused by a variety of different types and strains of influenza.

Please visit our nearest clinic (CLICK HERE FOR LOCATIONS) to be seen. We recommend you call in advance or notify staff immediately upon arrival of your symptoms and request a procedure mask.  Once you’ve made contact with clinic staff they will provide you further instruction for care.  At the provider’s discretion you may be screened for Influenza A, B, and Strep as a qualifying measure for a COVID-19 test collection.  If it is determined necessary by a provider and we have test collection supplies in stock, a collection may be performed for a COVID-19 test.  The collected test sample will then be sent out to a commercial lab for testing and analysis.

COVID-19 Testing/Rapid Testing: Our clinics primarily serve as collection sites which means if a patient meets the provider-determined criteria to order a test for COVID-19, a sample collection may be conducted at our clinics and be sent offsite for testing at an official lab where the final results will be determined. However, we do offer Rapid Testing at clinics where resources are available that provide patients results in as little as 15 minutes and allows our providers to make the most appropriate and efficient treatment recommendations and infection control decisions. Due to limited supplies, at this time we are reserving these tests for patients who have met provider-determined criteria based on CDC priority.

COVID-19 Testing/Rapid Testing: Many insurances are covering the patient cost share portion of COVID-19 related visits.  We will bill your insurance for any services rendered at our clinic.  If your insurance processes with any patient responsibility, we will send a bill for that portion only.  Any charges from the outside lab vendors will be billed through that outside lab and patient responsibility will be determined through them.

When it comes to our animals, they are considered important members of our families, so this is what we know so far. The CDC reports, that although COVID-19 is thought to have originated from an animal source, there is no evidence to suggest that animals or pets are a source of infection from the virus in the United States. As of now, there have been no reports of any animals or pets being infected by the Coronavirus or becoming sick, and there is no evidence that pets can spread the virus. We are still in the early stages and gathering new information, so it is recommended that you wash your hands after handling or being around your pets to minimize any risk.

If you do become sick from COVID-19, it is best to restrict contact with any of your pets for the duration of the illness, similar to how you would limit contact with people. Although we have no evidence at this time to suggest the virus is a threat to our animals, it is best to take extra precautions while new information is coming out and more studies are done.

If you are sick and must care for your animals, please wash your hands as often as possible, before and after your interactions and if you have access to a facemask, it is recommended that you wear it during the course of your interaction.