Should you go to the doctor at this point during COVID-19 for hypertension treatment and refills? As of September 12, 2020, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommends limiting in-person medical visits. The CDC recommends for you to talk to your doctor online, by phone, or e-mail, and use telemedicine. Further, the CDC recommends for you to discuss rescheduling non-urgent procedures if possible.
What is the status of COVID-19 in the United States at This Point?
The exact number of infected persons and deaths from the virus are speculative at best. It is really difficult to track COVID-19 at this point, but some great thinkers are coming up with solutions.
There are several apps that can provide us with an idea of where the hot spots are in real-time. A well-known doctor is recommending the app developed by Dr. Andrew Chan, MD, MPH, lead researcher, Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Professor of Immunology, and Infectious Diseases.
The COVID-19 symptom appis a way to find out where the COVID hot spots are, “new symptoms to look out for, and might be used as a planning tool to target quarantines, send ventilators and provide real-time data to plan for future outbreaks.” Go to this link to find out more and to download the app.
When Should We Be Back to Normal?
As of September 21, 2020, there is no vaccine for the general public and several companies are testing promising vaccines. However, according to the leading COVID-19 expert, even the vaccine won’t return us back to normal anytime soon.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said: “There really is no absolute time I can tell you now unless certain things fall into place.” He also said that getting back to normal depends on the “efficacy and community uptake of the current vaccines”. On September 16, 2020, Dr. Fauci said that he expects 700 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine to be available by next April.
What Can You Do to Protect Yourself?
If you must go to the doctor’s office, the CDC want you to protect yourself and others by taking precautions. The precautions are the same as they were from late March through early April 2020. For our country’s sake, please wear a mask coving your nose and mouth routinely when in public places. In addition, don’t touch your face, wash your hands, stay 6 feet away from others that are not living with you.
You could ask your doctor’s staff to take your temperature outside instead of inside. This might be important because we still don’t know how long the virus lingers in the air. Nevertheless, taking a temperature lasts for 15-20 seconds; which might not be long enough to get any significant amounts of the virus in your body. Perhaps not inhaling during the 15-20 seconds might make you feel safer.
Use tap and pay options or sanitize your hands after touching any surfaces and wash your hands at home. Follow the CDC hand washing recommendations using soap and water and scrub your hands for 20 seconds.
What to Do About Care and Refills If You Don’t Want to Go to the Office?
Hopefully, you have a doctor and you have built a good relationship with the office staff and your doctor. In times like these, it is very important to have both because there’s a shortage of health care providers.
Although it may be safe to go to the office at this point, let’s face it, you might not feel safe. If you don’t feel safe, notify your doctor for instructions on what to do about your health care and refills.
Resources
https://covid.joinzoe.com/us-2
