COVID-19 FAQs
I have a clinic appointment scheduled in the near future. Will it be cancelled?
We are handling all clinic appointments on a case-by-case basis. We will contact you a few weeks before your appointment to discuss options with you. We are committed to protecting our patients and families during this pandemic while also making sure every one of our patients gets the support and treatment he or she needs.
Is it safe to take Advil (ibuprofen) to reduce fever?
Please read the FDA statement from 3-19-2020 on the use of NSAIDS for fever and pain: https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-safety-and-availability/fda-advises-patients-use-non-steroidal-anti-inflammatory-drugs-nsaids-covid-19. If families wish to avoid use of NSAIDs, Tylenol is another OTC pain and fever reducer to use.
“At this time, FDA is not aware of scientific evidence connecting the use of NSAIDs, like ibuprofen, with worsening COVID-19 symptoms. The agency is investigating this issue further and will communicate publicly when more information is available. However, all prescription NSAID labels warn that the pharmacological activity of NSAIDs in reducing inflammation, and possibly fever, may diminish the utility of diagnostic signs in detecting infections.”
For those who wish to use treatment options other than NSAIDs, there are multiple over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription medications approved for pain relief and fever reduction. FDA suggests speaking to your health care professional if you are concerned about taking NSAIDs and rely on these medications to treat chronic diseases.”
I've heard that ACE Inhibitors and ARBs could potential make the symptoms of COVID-19 worse. If I'm on one or both of those medication, should I stop taking it?
The current advice from the professional societies is to continue with ACEI and ARB.
The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Council on Hypertension announced their stance in a positioning statement on March 13, and the American College of Cardiology (ACC), American Heart Association (AHA), and Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA) published a joint statement days later on March 17.
“We understand the concern—as it has become clear that people with cardiovascular disease are at much higher risk of serious complications including death from COVID-19," AHA president Robert A. Harrington, MD, said in a statement. "However, we have reviewed the latest research—the evidence does not confirm the need to discontinue ACE-i or ARBs, and we strongly recommend all physicians to consider the individual needs of each patient before making any changes to ACE-i or ARB treatment regimens."
What precautions should we be taking at home to protect ourselves from contracting the virus?
We would like to share with you some additional tips and guidance suggested by our CEO, Eric Dickson, MD:
Tips to Keep You Well at Home and/or at Work:
- Wash your hands often and avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Avoid sharing personal household items. Don’t share utensils, dishes, cups, towels, etc.
- Stay home if you’re sick, and if so, follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations on how to avoid spreading COVID-19 (link below).
- Cover coughs and sneezes.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces at least daily.
- Wash your work clothes thoroughly yourself. Use a normal laundry detergent according to washing machine instructions and dry thoroughly using the warmest temperatures recommended on the clothing label.
- Social Distancing: Put distance between yourself and other people. This one is my personal favorite because my teenagers at home have been teaching me this for years!
- Keep your sense of humor! It doesn’t have anything to do with infection control, but it will help us all get through this!
Additionally, at Work:
- Easy to clean: Wear clothing to work that can readily be washed at home.
- Consider bringing a change of clothes to wear home at the end of your shift or upon arrival to home.
- Consider going to “bare below the elbows” so that it is easier to wash hands/forearms and avoid the possibility that long sleeves are inadvertently contaminated.
- Don’t wear ties as they are harder to clean and might be contaminated.
- Wipe before you type; disinfect a shared computer keyboard before you start to use it.
- Disinfect your cell phone, pager, laptop computers or other devices before you go home.
- Try to have social distancing while at work and avoid having your rounding team cluster around a single computer.
There is great information on the CDC Website https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html for those who are sick at home as well as household members of those who have COVID-19 or are symptomatic.