Recommendations on Responding to COVID-19

As your health is our number-one priority, we here at Sioux Falls Urgent Care felt it was appropriate to co-sign the recommendations put forth by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in these recent weeks. As our communities take the necessary precautions to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus COVID-19, as a healthcare provider, we wanted to offer up our advice to keep you and your family, friends and neighbors safe.

Here are some precautionary measures adopted by the CDC.

Social Distancing

At this time, no vaccine has been fully approved and distributed for COVID-19. And since the primary way by which the disease is spread is through person-to-person contact, employing social-distancing methods is the most appropriate thing for you to do until the CDC recommends lifting travel and contact restrictions. This means maintaining a six-foot distance between yourself and others whenever possible, as well as staying and working from home during the current height of the crisis.

This is especially true if you could be considered to be in a high-risk part of the community, such as those with respiratory illness or immunodeficiency, or those 60 years of age or older.

Hygiene

Good hygiene practices will be critically important to curbing the spread of the virus, so ensuring that you wash your hands often and disinfect high-touch surfaces in your home frequently will go a long way to contribute to this effort. Make special effort to avoid touching your nose and mouth or rubbing your eyes, as this can be an easy way to spread potentially harmful germs into your system.

One of the most important precautions is to wash your hands with soap and water frequently—and if soap isn’t available, ensure you’re using hand sanitizer with at least 62 percent alcohol base.

Sickness

While the symptoms of COVID-19 can vary depending on the individual and can easily be confused with those of the seasonal influenza or a common cold, if you are feeling ill, it’s best to keep yourself separated from others as much as possible. If you’ve contracted the virus, it can be easily spread to others whom are more susceptible to severe symptoms or even fatality. If you are concerned that you may have contracted COVID-19, contact a physician by phone to determine next best steps, rather than immediately heading to a hospital or clinic.

Facemasks

Though your first instinct may be to wear a facemask when around others or out in public, the CDC recommends that only those who are sick wear any sort of face covering to prevent spread. Wearing a facemask will not necessarily prevent you from catching COVID-19, so it’s best to leave the short supply of this product for caregivers, healthcare professionals and those who are already sick.

If you have any questions about your healthcare or about ways to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the community, feel free watch the CDC’s informational page for updates.