As corona virus spreads across the country it is only a matter of time before it shows up in south central Nebraska. We are preparing for this in our office and would like all of our patients to be ready as well.
We are scheduling patients who are ill to come in after 2 p.m. This will help keep patients who are coming in for routine visits and rechecks from exposure. These routine appointments will be scheduled for morning and early afternoon. For patients that are acutely ill, we will have them use a facemask and go directly to an exam room. They will not be in the waiting room or lab. We have instituted enhanced cleaning procedures for the exam rooms after each use.
If you become ill with an upper respiratory infection please follow the recommendations below.
1. If you are otherwise healthy, not running a fever and not short of breath, we recommend that you stay home until you feel better. Almost all of these infections are viral and will run their course. You can use acetaminophen for aches and guaifenesin/dextromethorphan for cough and congestion. These are available over-the-counter. Exceptions to this rule would be if you have had close exposure to someone who has been diagnosed with corona virus or have recently traveled to an area with known outbreaks.
2. If you have a fever, are short of breath, have an underlying medical problem (COPD, heart disease, diabetes) or are age 65 or older you should be checked. In addition to an exam we will do an influenza screen and white blood count. If the influenza screen is negative and we feel it is indicated a trained hospital lab tech would get a swab for a respiratory panel which screens for about 20 common respiratory viruses. If these tests are negative we would consider a corona virus screen.
Corona virus testing availability is still limited. Hopefully testing will be more widely available soon so we can do screenings on anyone who is concerned that they might be infected. We will keep you informed as to when that capability is available.
Prevention
It is vitally important that everyone takes precautions to prevent infection. Slowing the spread of the virus will allow the healthcare system to better treat those who become sick. It has been shown that cities and countries that slowed the spread of the virus have lower mortality rates.
Good hygiene and social distancing have been shown to slow the spread of virus and decrease the chance of being infected. Frequent hand-washing is important. Avoiding exposure is the most important consideration. Staying away from group gatherings and from anyone who is sick is the first step. People who are 65 and older or have underlying medical problems should stay home as much as possible. Exercising outside is okay as long as it is not with a group of people. These guidelines should be followed until there is clear evidence that the infection rates have subsided in our area. More good information is available from the CDC https://www.cdc.gov/coronavi…/2019-ncov/community/index.html
If you have any questions or concerns calls us.
Dr. Little for Hastings Internal Medicine