As I write this today, I feel like many of you, a certain degree of uneasiness…I am torn between believing what the news and elected officials are telling us and my cynicism that these same people are creating an unnecessary panic. Being a health care practitioner, I have no choice but to err on the side of caution. One thing that I can tell you for certain is that increased stress and anxiety, whether it be about the virus itself or the economic implications that we all will be confronted with in the upcoming months will lower your body’s immune system.
The person best equipped to take care of you is you, but we’ve got your back. We clean our offices every night, and antiseptic wipes are used on every surface between patient visits. Even before the Coronavirus, we made it a point to wash our hands all the time. If anything, you may notice Dr. Infanti, Jeremy or Amanda coming into the rooms drying off their hands with a paper towel or wiping off one of our tools with an antiseptic wipe. We are making more of a show of it to put you, our patients at ease. We have also removed some of the chairs in our waiting room to provide better “social distancing” and de-cluttered the sign in area. We ask that you please sanitize your hands with our hand sanitizer prior to signing in and to not congregate at the front counter.
We ask anyone coming to our offices to stay home if they’re not feeling well.
We realize that you cannot quarantine your pain. Because of this, we are remaining open with our Normal Business Hours to continue to serve the needs of our patients. We will adjust our hours accordingly as we monitor the impact that Covid19 is making around the world.
Here are some tips to help you and your family feel safe and ready to face the world.
In General
Wash, wash, wash your hands. Did you know soap and water are more effective than hand sanitizer (and apparently easier to find right now)? To really get rid of any germs, wash for at least 20 seconds – which just happens to be how long it takes to hum Row-Row-Row Your Boat three times.
Be sneeze- and cough-courteous. Coughing or sneezing into the inner crook of your arm catches the droplets that would otherwise end up in the air or on the surfaces around you. The COVID-19 virus is transmitted through droplets, not through breathing, so this is important.
Save the mask for Halloween. The benefit of a mask is that it controls the outbound expression of germs when someone coughs or sneezes. If you’re healthy, a mask won’t be very effective in preventing the spread of germs. If you’re sick and need to be out in the world, a mask can help protect those around you from the germs you send out when you cough or sneeze.
Don’t touch your face! The easiest way to get sick (with any kind of virus) is to introduce germs from your hands to mucus membranes – like your eyes, nose and mouth.
Netflix and chill. If you’re not feeling well (whether it’s coronavirus or an old-school cold) please stay home, cuddle with your dog and catch up on your favorite show.
Out in the World
Wipe it out. Many of us do this anyway, but grab one of those wet wipes at the grocery store entrance to clean the cart (buggy for you southerners) handle.
Declutter! A clean desk or counter makes it easier to run a cleaning cloth across.
Personal space. Keep at least 6 feet between you and someone who is sneezing or coughing.
Sharing = caring? Not right now! We’re usually all about sharing, but for now the kindest thing you can do is avoid sharing food, drinks, even lotion or sanitizers – and the germs that ride with them.
Breathe in, breathe out. Ventilation is a good thing. Weather and location permitting, crack a window.
Taking Care of YourselfBe on your best behavior. Keep yourself in good shape by getting plenty of sleep, being physically active, drinking lots of water and eating nutritious foods. A stressed body is a weak body, so manage your stress through exercise, meditation or conversation with a trusted friend.
Self-care matters. Caring for yourself is the best thing you can do for your overall health.