04/02/2020
SARS-Cov-2 “covid-19” 04/02/2020
This is not a total conclusive list but just a sample of things to consider.
Experts recommend rural areas that are not hot spots for the virus use this time to prepare. My advice: Utilize social distancing, disinfect public products brought into your homes, disinfect your hands when in public, if available and you feel healthy wear a mask in public, if your sick DO NOT GO OUT IN PUBLIC and follow CDC guidelines.
We are developing protocols for our clinic in the event that we have multiple symptomatic people and how will we handle them. We can not assume all patients with cough and fever will have the virus so mixing them all together is unwise and will cross contaminate patients so protocols will be continued to be utilized at our clinic to handle sick and symptom free patients.
I do not recommend treating some patients as healthy and some as sick, as “Healthy” patients are a risk as carriers as I will attempt to explain.
Why Social distancing and now shelter-in-place.
One rationale to consider.
There are leading experts and studies that show 25% (and suggest up to 40% in the US) of asymptomatic people are walking around as carriers for this virus.
Meaning 1 in 4 people you come across could have this virus and not be coughing or “feeling bad”.
We know this virus is many times MORE contagious than influenza. This is the 1st virus that is not a strain of influenza to cause a pandemic, so experts believe it is not wise to utilize all schools of thought on influenza and apply it to this SARS (covid-19) virus...
Some leading experts in field of epidemiology (viruses and diseases) contradict the CDC and WHO and believe this virus is also spread thru aerosol (tiny droplets from carriers) and that is why asymptomatic carriers are passing the virus so easily. Viruses that can be passed via aerosol means it can be passed to another merely by talking to that person. NOW these experts agree that it is highly unlikely you get infected by speaking to a carrier briefly but it is longer periods of time talking to a person inside 6feet that would put you at risk. And then any changes in their respiratory effort would increase your risk such as cough/sneeze (which can project droplets 20+ feet).
That is why you may read that experts are starting to recommend or discuss the general public wear surgical masks in public and especially when in contact with groups of people such as at grocery stores.
We (medical clinic)can not purchase any type of masks, we are having to disinfect the N95 masks we have at our clinic. If healthcare gets infected who will take care of you? The general public does not need N95 masks. Healthcare providers needs masks but we need N95 masks, if you have N95 masks please contact us or your local medical providers office to donate them , we all are in critical need of the N95 masks. If your healthcare providers, nurses, and personnel get infected who will take care of you? If you have unused N95 masks please donate or exchange for surgical masks if that option is available.
Conclusion
*Stay at home.
*If you leave home , go by yourself if at all possible.
*Opinion: If you are in the general public and you feel healthy wear a surgical mask
*Sanitize your hands after you conclude touching any public surface you personally did not disinfect.
*You need to wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer.
*If you have unused N95 masks, donate them to healthcare.
*Also remember GLOVES pickup the virus as soon as they contact a contaminated surface so if you do not remove those gloves or disinfect them then those gloves are contaminated.
So you still must either remove those gloves before touching your face or a disinfected (clean)surface otherwise your spreading the virus with your contaminated gloves.
I’ve seen people in grocery stores with gloves on, touching everything in the store then handle their wallets/purse, touch their children, and get in their car with those same gloves on....*
This next statement is just common sense but I do not believe it is being thought of.....
I have tested multiple essential personnel that are symptomatic and high risk. Anyone going to work tomorrow are considered essential personnel. (I did not say they were positive I said high risk and are pending results)....Some essential personnel are going to get infected. Just realize my point.
Most people who become symptomatic are contagious before their symptoms begin. Shelter-in-place was not just pulled out the air by healthcare and recommended because it is another way to burden the public. There are multiple medical rationales and I’m just explaining one.
The CDC is now reporting Wednesday 04/01/20 The US had over 900 deaths reported that day comparable to one of the hardest hit countries, Italy. This virus is not under control or going away yet. It is getting worse by infecting more and unfortunately killing more.
You are not seeing high numbers in Alcorn county yet because we are a rural area with lower densities of population AND we still do not have the testing supplies in our clinics to test other than high risk patients and even then very very limited supplies that are not being replaced. Yes, they are about to make available rapid tests to the medical community. Opinion: But I would be surprised to find large quantities of it in rural settings in the beginning of allowing us to purchase those test kits. Maybe in the next 7-14 days rural areas will be capable of that. I would think hot spots in the beginning will have priority to the tests. I hope we can immediately implement high volume testing in Corinth once those tests are available but I’ve not read any data either way to suggest we will or will not.
*The point is take shelter-in-place seriously.
Another point is to be aware of risks with public surface contact.
*Any surface you contact in public needs to be considered contaminated until you personally disinfect it.
When you get your groceries home disinfect a surface such as a table and then wipe the groceries down with a disinfectant such as Lysol, or use soap/water. Consider everything to be contaminated including your bags. Then disinfect the surface you used.
When you pump gas, handle money, touch a public door handle, do not touch your face and always disinfect your hands afterwards.
Conclusion:
*When you touch any surface in public you personally did not disinfect, sanitize your hands afterwards.
*And if you bring that surface home such as groceries or supplies of any type disinfect them before storing them.
I pray we get the tools needed to stop this pandemic and we have the means to treat those that get sick and can return them back to their normal state of health.
Sincerely,
Jim Wigginton, CFNP
